Christmas Inn-heritance
by TheCleanWriter
Summary: Wild child Anna Randelle thinks life is as good as it's gonna get. She's an heiress to a multi-million dollar company, she's engaged, and it's a few days til Christmas! But when her sister sends her off to North Mountain to deliver the yearly Christmas letters, will a certain blond brute be the one to change all that? Based on the cheesy Netflix movie 'Christmas Inheritance'. AU
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone!**

**This story is based off of that super cheesy Christmas movie on Netflix '_Christmas Inheritance', _but with my own special twists and turns to it. And obviously with our favorite Frozen characters in the mix. (DISCLAIMER) None of whom I own. All rights go to Disney and majority of plot points go the makers of the original movie!**

**I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter One: Party Heiress Strikes Again**

A _Home & Heart_ employee scurried across the crowded ballroom looking around frantically. She'd _promised_ her boss that she'd keep an eye on her sister. And yet, she'd somehow managed to slip out from her eye sight. Panic rose inside the poor woman as she frantically asked every passerby if they'd seen Miss Randelle. Her eyes finally rested on a certain Hans Westergard. He was typing furiously away at his phone.

As quick as her legs would take her, she marched right up to the young man.

"Excuse me, Mr. Westergard," she breathed. He scrunched his face at her, not even giving her the decency to look up from the small screen in his hands. His thumbs continued typing away.

"Just a second," he mumbled back. She huffed in response. She really didn't have the time for this. Whatever deal he was trying to make or business man he was trying to schmooze, it really could wait for two seconds to speak with her.

"Mr. Westerg-"

He threw his fist in the air victoriously, cheering loudly. "Now that's how you close a sale!" He grinned broadly at the screen before him, beaming with self-pride. The employee fought hard not to roll her eyes in response.

"Mr. Westergard, _please_," she begged. "Have you seen your fiancée?"

* * *

Anna threw back the rest of her drink and slapped the empty glass back down on the bar. She shook her nerves loose before taking a few deep breaths. Then she took a few leaps forward before launching herself into a double aerial. Her green dress flapped around her legs as she flew through the air. She knew that she probably had showed a little too much of what was going on under her dress, but it was a dare, and she'd had a few drinks in her, so what did it _really_ matter?

Her friend, the dare-er in question, clapped as he approached, clearly impressed by her show. She shrugged.

"Years of gymnastics, you never forget!" she exclaimed, holding her hand out for the check that was promised. He happily obliged. A promise was a promise. He chuckled at her.

"No complaints here, toys-for-tots is my new favorite charity," he said. His eyes sparkled at her. She rolled her eyes in response. Suddenly she noticed the flicker of his gaze shift to the small display train behind her. A sly grin gripped at his lips as he snatched his check back from her fingers. She hated that smile of his. It always meant he'd thought of something she'd regret.

"I'll double it if you can vault that." He nudged his head towards the train. She turned her head and scoffed. She may have had a few drinks in her by this point, but there was still a line. She shook her head.

"No way!" That dangerous sparkle returned to his eyes. She groaned inwardly. She should have figured that would have just made him want her to do it more.

"I'll triple it!" he offered. She looked back at the train again. "Come on, that's a lot of money. Gonna be a lot of toys for a lot of tots."

Anna briefly closed her eyes as she debated it in her head. It would be a lot of money...but if she was really going to do this, it was going to be for a lot more.

"Quadruple," she said firmly, crossing her arms in front of her. She tried to put on the toughest face she could muster, but everyone who knew her knew she was too big of a softy to fall for that act. That wicked grin on his lips grew wider as he nodded.

"Deal." One word to seal her fate. She let out a hard breath as she turned around. She could do this. Sure she hadn't vaulted anything since she was a kid, but it was just like riding a bike, right? By this point, everyone that was _still_ gathered around her had their cameras and phones ready. Including the paparazzi, she might add. Elsa was going to kill her. But hey, at least she'd be getting lots of toys for lots of tots, right? She'd be dying for a good cause.

Before she knew it, her feet were pounding on the ground from out from under her. She launched herself off the ground, reached out her hands, and delicately bounced over the top of the display train. But of course, just her luck, Hans and her watchdog for the evening had come rushing in at that very moment.

"Miss Randelle!" she nearly shrieked. The mere shock alone made Anna lose her footing as she landed. With a few stumbles backwards, the clumsy redhead was falling butt-first into the Christmas tree. Gasps rang out around the room as everyone gathered around her. Her cheeks flushed pink as she looked up at them from the floor. She broke out into a hesitant smile as the paparazzi cameras flashed all around her.

* * *

Elsa pinched the bridge of her nose as she stared at the pictures of her sister on the front page of some gossip magazine. After their parents had died, she'd watched Anna fall into this party girl lifestyle, but now, it was _really_ starting to get out of hand. There was a knock at her office door. She looked up sharply to see her mousy assistant poking her head inside.

"Yes?" Elsa asked. The small woman swallowed.

"Your sister just got in. She's waiting in the conference room." Elsa sighed. Her gaze dropped back down to the magazine cover. What on Earth was she going to do with her sister? How would her parents have handled this? Granted, if her parents were still alive, there probably wouldn't be any _this_ to have to handle.

"I'll be right in. Thank you," she said, dismissing her assistant. She looked over at the framed picture she had of her parents that was sitting on her desk. It was right next to the one she had of Anna. She smiled weakly at it. Things were never the same since they died. And it was something Elsa felt incredibly guilty about. Her and her sister used to be so close, but after their parents death, Elsa had to take over the company. She was the oldest after all. She'd been so focused on running it and so worried about letting down her father's legacy, that she'd let Anna suffer in silence. Now here they were, years later. Elsa was a thriving CEO, and Anna was the party heiress who never dealt with her feelings. And engaged to a _Westergard_ for heavens sake.

She stood, straightening her suit jacket before making her way to the conference room. She'd never liked that family. They'd always seemed to fake, pretentious, and just plain _off_ to her. But somehow, Hans had charmed Anna off her feet. They'd only been dating a few months before he'd proposed. Elsa was still suspicious that he was just after her money, but it was something her and Anna hadn't really talked much about. They didn't talk a lot about feelings these days.

She pushed open the conference room door to see her little sister scribbling some notes down in a notebook. Her tongue stuck out to the side of her lips as she concentrated. Elsa couldn't help but crack a smile. A _brief_ smile. She was still upset.

She let out a sigh, catching the attention of the younger Randelle heiress.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "Elsa, I had some _amazing_ ideas for totally re-vamping our company image.."

The blonde sighed again. She was used to her sister's ramblings by now. Anna was especially bad when she'd struck a chord of genius with a business idea. She could get completely lost in thought, and conversation, about an event or a marketing technique, or whatever, mind you.

"Anna," she breathed. Even though her tone was quiet, it was serious enough to capture her rambling sister's attention. The redhead quieted, slowly standing to her feet.

"Is something wrong?"

Elsa slapped her new least favorite magazine down onto the table. "_That_ is what's wrong." Anna wordlessly made an 'o' with her mouth as she sat back down. It was lecture time.

"'Party Heiress Strikes Again'?!" Elsa read. "What were you thinking?!" Her hands fell to her hips angrily. Anna cringed at her tone.

"It was for charity?" Elsa felt her eyes might fall out of her head she'd rolled them so hard.

"Flips for charity?! Seriously, how old are you?"

Anna slowly rose to her feet, her mind racing for ideas to fix the situation. "I-I can organize some kind of charity ball. Maybe something around Valentine's? That will definitely put the company back into good graces with the public eye!"

She smiled sweetly, hoping her sister would go for it. It wasn't too bad of an idea actually, and Anna LOVED planning parties. Elsa dropped her forehead into her hand.

"You don't get it, do you?" she asked. Anna cocked an eyebrow at her sister.

"Geeet what?" she asked, semi-suspiciously. Elsa was nearly at her wits end with this one.

"This isn't just about the _company's_ reputation, Anna. This isn't even just about yours!" she exclaimed. There was a brief pause before she continued. "You still want to become chief event coordinator, right?"

Anna nodded quickly, twisting her fingers in her hands. "Yes..?" Elsa sighed.

"Well I can't give you that job until I know I can trust you to do it without these headlines popping up everywhere. Stop by my office at two, okay? I think I might have an idea."

* * *

Elsa nervously rapped her fingers against her desk as she waited. Was she being too hard on her sister? Sure she needed a metaphorical slap in the face, but was she _really_ sure this was the way to go about it? There was a knock at her office door. Elsa's worried blue eyes lifted quickly, earnestly scanning the face that belonged to whoever had just poked their head into the room. Her nerves dropped at the sight of her mousy assistant. She thought it had been Anna. She was expecting her any second now.

She leaned back in her chair and sighed. "Am I doing the right thing here, Kayla?" she asked.

"That depends," Kayla said. "Do you really think you have another choice?"

Elsa massaged her temples with her slender fingertips as she groaned. How in the world did her parents _parent?_

"Is it my fault?" she finally asked after a moment of silence. "I feel like after our parents died, I became so consumed in my work that I just...let her loose. I let her do whatever she wanted. Maybe if I'd been there better, she wouldn't be so...unchained."

Kayla quirked a smile. "I don't think she's as far gone as you think. Sometimes the party girl facade is exactly that, a _facade_."

Elsa nodded, dropping her hands into her lap. Soon there was another knock on her door. Cautiously her redheaded sister in question peeked inside.

"Oh!" she said quickly. "If you're busy, I can come back later. You just had said earlier you wanted me to come by at two, and I know I'm a few minutes late so if you've started another meeting I completely understand-"

"Anna," Elsa interrupted, her voice light as she held back her laughter. She always rambled when she was nervous. And sadly, she got nervous a lot. "It's alright, come in."

Anna sheepishly ducked into the office, sitting down on one of Elsa's ridiculously soft office chairs. Kayla squeezed her shoulder comfortingly before leaving the two sisters to their conversation and closing the door behind her.

Elsa sighed as she pulled out an old wooden box from her drawer and placed it neatly onto her desk. Anna looked at it curiously.

"Is that..?" she started. The blonde nodded.

"The Christmas letters. Dad's most favorite tradition. And this year, I think you should deliver them." Anna quirked an eyebrow.

"Deliver them?" she echoed. "As in all the way to North Mountain deliver them?" Elsa nodded, a delicate smile on her lips.

"That's the idea!"

Anna stared blankly at her sister, clearly not understanding the concept. Her sister's test for if she was trustworthy enough for the job she'd been pining for was to deliver _letters_?

"Aaaaaand why exactly?" she asked. Elsa tucked a loose hair behind her ear.

"When Dad and Uncle Olaf started this company, they were just two best friends sitting in a diner booth in one of the smallest towns in America. And every year, they would take turns writing a letter to the other at Christmas, filling it with everything good and bad that happened that year," she said. "But more importantly, they always delivered it in _person_. Now I've kept Dad's tradition alive the past few years because I knew it would be important to Uncle Olaf, but this year, I think you should be the one to deliver the letters."

Anna blinked.

"But why me?"

"Because I said so."

"Okay, but why?"

Elsa let out an exasperated sigh. Her headache was starting to come back.

"Dad and Uncle Olaf learned a lot about what really matters about life in that town, and I think that could really help you too. I think you need it, so if you want the job, you're _going_." Anna bit her lip, but nodded definitively.

Elsa was right. She was in charge of the company, and it was her job to give. If Anna wanted to prove she could do it, then she would do whatever stupid test her sister had planned for her and she'd pass it with flying colors, danggit!

The younger sister flew to her feet, causing the older to jump slightly at the sudden movement. Anna picked up the box and held it tightly to her chest.

"Then I won't let you down!" she exclaimed with a toothy grin. Elsa smiled for a brief moment before raising a finger.

"There is a slight catch.."

* * *

"You're going _where_?!" Hans nearly yelled as Anna continued to pack. She sighed.

"North Mountain. It's a quaint little town that my parents are from." He shook his head.

"But you have to leave _today_?!"

"That's part of the deal!" she called from the bathroom.

"All to deliver some stupid letters?" She furrowed her brows at him.

"Hey, they're not stupid. Those letters are filled with my Dad's words. My _dead_ father's beautiful words," she said, sadness etched in her voice.

He rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, I get it. But couldn't they have just emailed? I mean, handwritten letters?" he asked incredulously. She opened the box, sorting through the pages of history under her fingertips.

"Look at the dates on some of these. They go way past email."

He shoved his fists into his $2,000 jacket pockets and sighed heavily. Anna fought the urge to sigh herself. Whenever he got like this, it seemed like he aged back 15 years.

"When will you be back? We still have our _own_ Christmas plans, you know," he whined. She finished throwing the last of what she needed into her suitcase and plopped down onto the bed next to it.

"It should only be a day or two. Just a quick trip down, hand off the letters, and a quick trip back," she said assuringly. He relaxed slightly, but his stature was still fairly tantrumy. She was engaged to a four-year old.

"Hey, I'm not too thrilled about it either. _Especially_ with these rules Elsa has me under." He cocked an eyebrow at her.

"What rules?"

She shrugged. "Like I can't tell anyone my real name. She doesn't want me receiving any special treatment. I can't take any credit cards, I'm only limited to $100 for the whole trip-"

Hans snorted.

"$100?! Why on Earth did she cap your spending?" Anna shrugged once more.

"That's how much Daddy and Uncle Olaf started out with. Oh, and she made it _explicitly_ clear that I have to place the box and this year's letter _in his hands_," she finished. Hans rolled his eyes.

"I don't know why you put up with this." Anna scrunched her face at him.

"Well, I really want this job. And I want to prove to not only her, but to myself, that I can do it," she said firmly, standing to her feet. "Now, will you take me to the airport? I'm worried it might be packed this time of year."

Hans picked up her tickets from off her dresser and looked them over. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Have you actually looked at these?" he asked. She shook her head, pulling her suitcase off her bed and onto the floor.

"Not really, why?" He cocked an annoyed eyebrow at her.

"Well you don't have to worry about the airport traffic."

* * *

Anna stared at the giant, silver bus in front of her. She'd never ridden one before. She'd never _had_ to. Whenever her family went somewhere, they flew. If she ever went somewhere in the city, they either walked or took a town car.

She nervously gripped the handle of her suitcase as her sister smiled brightly next to her.

"You ready for this?" The blonde asked. Anna nodded hesitantly. Her stomach was in knots, but boy was she determined.

"You kidding?" she asked, digging deep in a desperate attempt to summon up as much courage as she could. "I was born ready!"

Elsa stuck out her hand, and smiled brighter. "Good! Then you won't mind handing over your credit cards now?"

"Oh, right!" Anna dug through her pockets and neatly placed them onto her sisters palm. She let out a shaky breath before turning on her heel, taking her first steps towards the towering, steel beast-

"And the platinum," Elsa said from behind her. Anna froze. She grumbled under her breath as she dug out her last card and begrudgingly gave it to her sister. Okay, so she was going to keep _one_ for emergencies only. Sue her for trying to be cautious!

Elsa smirked. "Nice try." Anna stuck out her tongue before spinning on her heel again, her suitcase rolling behind her.

After getting her bags stowed away and finding an available seat, which she had found out were _not_ reserved, she was finally ready to go! Off she was on her newest adventure yet. Goodbye Arendelle, hello North Mountain!

* * *

**I was hoping to have this story done and begun posting _before_ Christmas, but y'know. Life happens. Hope you liked this first chapter! I'm posting a few along with it to speed up the timetable and because I'm just too excited for you to get to where Anna and Kristoff meet. (minor spoilers for next chapter, but is that really much of a surprise?). **

**Interesting bit of trivia, if you don't know already, '_Westergard_' has been deemed by Frozen's filmmaker Jennifer Lee as Hans' official cannon last name. Orginally I had it as '_Isles_' as a bit of a joke towards Anna's "Ofthesouthernisles" being his last name, but I figured going with cannon was the better choice. **

**I also choose '_Randelle'_ as Anna and Elsa's last name because unlike Hans, there is no cannon last name for the two of them. They are merely known as Anna and Elsa of Arendelle, so '_Randelle'_ is supposed to be a little play-on-words of 'Arendelle'. **

**Kayla is also the genderbent character of Kai, one of the servants from the movie. **

**I hope you enjoy the next chapter! Happy reading! **

**(ps don't forget to leave a nice review)**

**-TheCleanWriter**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for sticking around, you know what that means? It means I appreciate the freak out of you.**

**Anyways, (DISCLAIMER) same as last time, I don't own the majority of the story besides my little changes here and there or the characters. But please enjoy!**

* * *

_**Previously on Christmas Inn-heritance:**_

_"And the platinum," Elsa said from behind her. Anna froze. She grumbled under her breath as she dug out her last card and begrudgingly gave it to her sister. Okay, so she was going to keep one for emergencies only. Sue her for trying to be cautious!_

_Elsa smirked. "Nice try." Anna stuck out her tongue before spinning on her heel again, her suitcase rolling behind her._

_After getting her bags stowed away and finding an available seat, which she had found out were not assigned, she was finally ready to go! Off she was on her newest adventure yet. Goodbye Arendelle, hello North Mountain!_

* * *

**Chapter Two: Stuck**

Anna's eyes fluttered awake as the rusty, old bus came to a stop. She looked outside the window she had been resting her head against. Her eyes widened in shock. It was definitely a lot snowier than she was expecting. She hadn't exactly packed for this extreme of weather. Maybe she should have done some more research on this place before she left...

She mentally face-palmed. Elsa was right. She needed some serious growing up to do.

Anna stretched her arms over her head before getting up from her seat. It definitely wasn't the most comfortable form of travel, but she'd managed to sleep most of the way there. Her body was a little stiff, so she was itching to get off this thing and out into the open air.

The bus driver emptied all the suitcases out from where they were stowed away under the bus. Anna smiled at him gratefully. He looked like he had really broken a sweat lugging all those heavy suitcases around. This man deserved a tip.

"Thank you!" she chirped, reaching into her wallet to pull out the crisp hundred dollar bill Elsa had given her. The man looked at her, then at the bill, then back at her in disbelief. Her face dropped.

"You don't have change for a hundred, do you..?." she asked bashfully. He shook his head, half in bewilderment, half in amusement as he shut the underneath stowaway. Her cheeks blushed as she stuffed the bill back into her purse.

"Merry Christmas, ma'am," he said as he strode past her. This time, Anna really did face-palm. Realization on what he had said hit her after he'd closed the bus doors. She abandoned her suitcase behind her to run back to the closed doors. This man was so nice and worked so hard! She didn't want him to think she was just some stuck up rich girl who looked down on the help!

"Merry Christmas to you too!" she exclaimed through the glass, smiling brightly at him as she waved furiously. The bus began to pull away, so she turned back to where she had left her suitcase. Just in time to watch in horror as a townsman walked past, a large Christmas tree in hand, completely oblivious to the suitcase on the sidewalk in front of him.

"Wait, watch out!" she called, running towards it in a desperate attempt to stop what she knew what was about to happen. But she was too late.

The bottom of his tree knocked her suitcase. The wheels violently screeched across the ice and into the middle of the road, directly into the path of on oncoming truck. Anna's hands flew to her mouth to muffle a scream as the truck smashed into her suitcase, sending it flying. It cracked open, her clothes flying in all directions.

The truck stopped. Anna ran out to collect her scattered clothing as a tall, burly, and fairly annoyed blond man stepped out from his vehicle to inspect the damage that had been done from what he had just hit. His truck was pretty old in years and he could _not_ afford a new one.

"You trying to cause an accident?!" he exclaimed. She furrowed her brows at him, tightening her jacket around her as the cold air was starting to really seep in. She definitely should have brought a warmer coat.

"It was an accident! I leave it for two seconds, and _some guy_ comes out of nowhere and knocked it into the road with a _Christmas tree_!" She waved her hands towards the sidewalk furiously in an attempt to illustrate her point. The blond scrunched his face.

"A Christmas tree?" he asked incredulously. She rolled her eyes.

"Yes, a Christmas tree." She bent down to start picking up her loose, snow covered clothing. He sighed, but knelt down to do the same. His truck looked fine, so it was the least he could do to help her out. She quickly was throwing piles of clothing in, until they both picked up the same article of clothing. Together they held it up. Both of them pulling at it simultaneously only pulled it apart farther to reveal what it really was, causing Anna to blush furiously, and for the man to get a little pink in the cheeks as well. Of course. Out of all the things he had to pick up, it had to have been her slinky, silk blue, not to mention _terribly_ short, nightdress.

He coughed awkwardly. "Uh, where are you headed?" he asked. She finished throwing in her clothes and latching her suitcase closed again.

"The North Mountain Inn.." she said hesitantly as they stood. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. After spilling her clothes out all over onto the snowy road and putting her through the embarrassment of showing off her intimates to him and the world, he could at least give her a lift.

"Do you need a ride? It's a one taxi kind of town, and it's been out this whole week." She crossed her arms in front of her chest. After all that happened? No way was she spending another _second_ with this man.

"No thank you," she said firmly. "I'll just call an Uber." This made him crack a smile.

"You're kidding, right?" Her face fell.

"You don't have that here.." she guessed. He nodded.

"We don't even have good enough cell reception for if we did." She groaned. Looks like it was either him or risk dying in the snow on the walk. She sat for a second to weigh her options...

Finally she grumbled out a "fine", and dragged her scuffed suitcase to the bed of his truck. Like the gentleman he was, he helped lift it into the back so she wouldn't have to, something she was silently grateful for. She was still pretty stiff from the cramped bus ride.

The drive to the inn was pretty silent for the first while. He didn't seem much of the talkative type. The problem was, Anna definitely was. She couldn't stand silence. It made her feel so awkward!

"I'm Anna," she said. "By the way." He nodded, his gaze not leaving the road.

"Kristoff." She gave him a weird look.

"I've never heard that name before." He shrugged.

"It's Nordic," he said. She nodded.

"I like it." She turned to look out the window, missing the small smile that unexpectedly crossed his lips. He quickly forced it away. He stole a few glances at her while she remained distracted by the falling snow.

"You're big city, aren't you?" he asked. She looked at him, startled by his question. Quickly shrugging off the shock, she nodded.

"Yeah, I am. Arendelle. I love it. You ever been?"

His face grew dark. There was a brief pause before he answered.

"Uh, yeah. I used to live there actually." Her eyes brightened as she adjusted in her seat to face him more.

"No way!" she exclaimed. "When? For how long? What are you doing back here?"

He shot her a look. She sure asked a lot of questions. "A few years ago. I went to college there." She quirked an eyebrow at him.

"But you're back here?" she asked. He shrugged.

"Wasn't a good fit." She nodded, sensing that this was a conversation he _really_ didn't want to continue.

"Were you born here?" she asked. He nodded.

"Born and raised." She smiled. Her mouth opened to mention that her parents were also, but she stopped. Kristoff might ask who they were, and she definitely couldn't make up names on the spot. Especially since he probably knew everyone from this town and could spot any lie she told from a mile away. It would probably be best to just keep her mouth shut about it.

Not before long, they'd pulled up to the inn. Kristoff had gotten her bag out of the back and lugged it inside for her, ignoring her insistence that she could take care of it herself. She sighed, smiling at him.

"Well, thanks for the lift," she said gratefully. He nodded, a ghost of a smile on his lips.

"Any time," he said, before stepping behind the front desk counter. "Now, what can I do you for?" Anna's jaw practically dropped.

"_You're_ the manager here?" He smiled, dipping his head politely.

"At your service." Anna remained frozen where she was, unsure of what to do. This was absolutely just her luck. The manager of Olaf's hotel had just seen her intimates after an embarrassing display of hitting them with her car. Not to mention, he was so darn _cute_. Wait. What? No. No, he wasn't.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Anna?" he asked again. She shook her head, snapping herself back to reality. She stepped forward and placed her hands on the front desk that stood between them.

"I'm here to see Olaf Snow," she said. Her gaze flickered to the roaring fireplace on the opposite side of the room. She was dying to sit near it, but she didn't want to show how cold she really was in front of Kristoff. He nodded, staring at her for a second.

"Yeah, he's not here."

Anna's face dropped.

"What?" she asked.

"He's not here."

"Well, what do you mean he's not here? Like _here_ here or North Mountain here?"

Kristoff shrugged. "He left to go out ice fishing yesterday." Anna's hands flew to the sides of her head as she felt the panic within her begin to rise. She remind herself in her head over and over to stay calm, but honestly, she was getting pretty freaked out.

"Do you know when you'll be back?" she asked. He pursed his lips at her.

"Usually within a couple days," he said nonchalantly, turning back to his work. Anna shook her head in disbelief. How was he so calm about this?! Was it usual for Olaf to just up and disappear for days at a time like this?!

"What, he didn't say when he would be back?" Kristoff sighed before calling for someone over his shoulder.

"Gerda!" An older, middle-aged woman came bounding around the corner from the hallway. He turned to face her.

"Did Olaf say when he would be back?" he asked, though he already knew the answer. Gerda shook her head.

"Never does!" she answered. Kristoff turned back to Anna, a smug look on his face. She scrunched her mouth up in return. He was an arrogant little one, wasn't he? She crossed her arms in front of her.

"Is there at least a number I can reach him on?" she asked.

He shook his head. "No signal up at the ice hole. You'll just have to wait for him to come back." She sighed, exasperated at the situation she was now in. Should she head home? A quick glance outside at the worsening snowfall quickly answered that question for her. No way would the roads be open for much longer. This was it, she was officially stuck.

She groaned, her forehead falling into the palm of her hand.

"Got any more rooms?" she grumbled. Kristoff fought off a smile at the miserable girl in front of him. Seeing her pout like that, he had to admit, was kind of adorable. He flipped open the guest book and scanned his finger down the page until he found an empty room number.

"Name?" he asked. She lifted her head, propping her chin up where her forehead once rested.

"Anna Ran...," her eyes widened. Oh no. She wasn't supposed to use her real name. But she'd already started! She had to think of something fast. Ran what?!

"..ford," she finished. "Anna Ranford." Kristoff nodded, writing the name neatly down next to the vacant room. She was lucky, they only had a few left. North Mountain was a popular town at Christmas time.

"Alright, Miss Ranford," he said. He slid her key across the desk, and made his way around to collect her suitcase. "Let me show you to your room."

* * *

The room was nicer than she was expecting. It gave off a very cabin-y, rustic vibe, but Anna found it very charming. She unzipped her suitcase on the bed. The snow on her clothes had melted, leaving them all a fairly damp mess. She grumbled to herself as she pulled them out. She would have to ask Kristoff or Gerda where their laundry room was to throw some of these in the dryer. All her silk items she simply hung to dry in the bathroom.

Soon there was a knock on the door.

"Here's your change. Sorry, I had to run all the way down to the safe. We don't get a lot of hundred dollar bills around here," he said. Anna took the change from him bashfully. She was really starting to hate high bills. She thanked him for his trouble, then just as she was about to close the door, her stomach very audibly growled. Kristoff raised his eyebrows at her.

"You hungry?" he asked. She shrugged.

"A little. I didn't exactly pack anything to eat on the trip. But it's okay, I'll just order up some room service." A twitch of a smile pulled at the corner of his lips. A pit dropped in Anna's stomach. Did this place have anything?

"No room service?" she asked.

"No kitchen," he said with a shrug.

Her eyes widened as she clutched her stomach. "What do your guests do for food around here?!" she asked, shock evident in her voice. He chuckled.

"Get your coat," he said, motioning his head to her abandoned coat she had draped over the couch in her room. "I'll show you."

* * *

After Anna and Gerda had gotten her clothes in the dryer, her and Kristoff set off to the nearby diner. It was a short walk, only a few minutes really. But it was long enough for Anna to not want to spend in silence.

"So what is this place exactly?" she asked.

"It's a diner," he said. "Beth's, the town favorite." They walked down the street together, side by side. As they walked, they past a homeless man sitting under an awning, desperate to stay out of the snow. Kristoff quickly approached him, giving him a few dollars. The homeless man smiled gratefully at him. Kristoff flashed a small smile back. Anna watched the two men.

Her fingers itched to reach for her pocket, but she hesitated. She bit her lip. Kristoff left the homeless man's side and returned to Anna's. He raised an eyebrow at her. She dipped her head sadly.

"I-I would, but I'm sort of on a budget..," she said softly, before they started walking again. "You know, my fiancé says giving money to the homeless actually hurts them."

Kristoff looked at her sharply. Fiancé? He shouldn't have been so surprised. A girl as beautiful as her? Of course she was engaged. But it's not like he cared. She was just another guest at his hotel. So he didn't care. He didn't. Nope. Did. Not.

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard," he said finally. "Why does he believe that?" She shrugged.

"He says we should be encouraging them to be self-sufficient and get back on their feet." He scoffed.

"Sounds like a real charitable guy. Might sound good in theory, but in practice, I'm sure Baxter back there is a lot more grateful to be that much closer to a warm meal tonight." He turned, opening the door to the diner and stepping inside. She stared at the back of his head as he retreated into the warm air. She scrunched her nose and stomped in after him.

"Hey!" she said firmly. "I never said I agreed with him!" He chuckled at the look on her face.

"Okay, there feisty-pants. Settle down. Let's go grab a seat," he said, diffusing the feisty redhead. She looked around. The entire place was absolutely packed. She wasn't sure there was a seat. They wouldn't be getting their food for hours! She hurried after him, taking the stool next to him at the counter.

"This place is packed, we're never going to get any food." He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She ignored the electric jolt that shot through her body as he did.

"_Relax_," he said. "I have an in with the owner." Suddenly a large woman came bounding towards them.

"Krissy!" she yelled, reaching over the counter to pinch his cheeks. He quickly swatted her hands away. A soft pink grazed his cheeks as he blushed.

"Hey, Ma." Anna stared at him with big eyes, then back at Beth.

"This is your _mom_?!"

Kristoff nodded. "Ma, this is Anna. She's staying at the hotel until Olaf gets back from his fishing trip." The large woman leaned over the counter as if to examine her. Anna smiled nervously. Soon a large smile broke out across Beth's face.

"Aren't you just the prettiest thing to ever walk in on my Krissy's arm!" she gushed. Kristoff groaned outwardly. Anna giggled at his embarrassment.

"Can you just get her some food?" he asked. "She's starving." Beth nodded, grabbing her small notepad and the pencil from behind her ear.

"Of course, dear. What would you like." Anna did a quick scan of the menu before putting in her order. Beth winked at the two of them.

"Coming right up," she said before sauntering back to the kitchen. Anna giggled once more at the look on Kristoff's face. He knew his mother was something else, but he was hoping she'd act a little more tame than _that_.

Anna placed a hand on his forearm. "I think she's sweet." Kristoff felt chills run up his spine at her touch. Sure he had on his coat and she was wearing mittens so he could hardly feel the warmth of her hand, but even the smallest amount was enough to cause a reaction. He cleared his throat.

"She's...something," he laughed. Anna removed her hand and immediately he wished for it back. She leaned against the counter.

"You two don't seem at all alike."

He shrugged. "Well, that might have to do with the fact that I'm adopted." She turned to look at him, her eyes wide.

"Oh, I-I had no idea," she stammered. He waved her off.

"It's fine. My parents died when I was a kid. Beth just took me in. She brought me into this big, crazy family of her own." Anna smiled warmly at him. It must have been nice to have a big family. All she had was Elsa. And even they weren't very close. They had been trying to be moreso over the years, but with how busy Elsa was with the company, that was a pretty difficult feat. Things were just never the same after their parents died.

Anna's eyes scanned the busy diner until they came to rest upon an empty booth. Above the table was a plaque, next to a picture. She squinted her eyes to read what it said. 'Birthplace of _Home & Heart Gifts_ \- Arthur Randelle and Olaf Snow'. She gasped. Kristoff turned to look at her.

"Is that..?" she started, pointing towards the booth. Beth had neared the two again with their plates of food and smiled.

"The very booth where Olaf and Arthur came up with their business idea for '_Home & Heart Gifts'_? You bet!" she said cheerfully. Anna smiled broadly. She couldn't believe it. She tried to picture it. Her young father, her very age, and his best friend sitting in that very booth, writing on a napkin their ideas for the business that would one day grow to be a multi-million dollar industry.

"I remember Arthur back in those days, before he went off to live in Arendelle. Him and his sweetheart. Irene. They were such a cute couple," Beth continued. Anna's gaze turned back to the older woman. She knew her parents?

"You knew my-m-Mister Randelle?" she asked, barely saving herself form a slip up. Beth nodded, letting out a hearty laugh, memories of the young man filled her head.

"Oh, yes! He was a dear friend of mine. He was always getting into trouble. It wasn't until beautiful Irene came around that he finally settled down. I'm _convinced_ it was because of her that that business was such a success," she said. Anna felt tears brimming her eyes. She fought them back. She couldn't look like she was getting misty-eyed over a couple of strangers! They weren't really...but these two weren't supposed to know that!

Beth's expression suddenly darkened and her cheery demeanor dropped. "I heard about their passing. The poor things. I wish I could have said goodbye."

Now Anna really couldn't take it. She was about to burst into tears if she didn't change the conversation. She quickly picked up her fork and began digging into the warm food that laid out before her.

"This is delicious!" she exclaimed, shoveling mouthful after mouthful. Beth beamed brightly.

"I'm so glad you enjoy it!" Anna continued to shovel food into her mouth as she listened to the songs switch on the jukebox. _'Silent Night'_ softly swept through the diner atmosphere. Kristoff sat up stick straight, his expression dark. Anna eyed him warily. She swallowed the bite in her mouth before speaking.

"Kristoff? Are you okay?" He nodded wordlessly, standing from the counter stool. He rolled his shoulders, turning towards the jukebox.

"Yeah," he answered gruffly. "I just, uh, I hate this song."

He quickly made his way over, digging a quarter out of his pocket and sliding it into the slot of the machine. He pushed every button on the machine in an effort to get the song to change. _Any_ song, he didn't care. As long as it just wasn't _this song_! He slapped the side of the machine angrily. Soon, his adopted mother was at his side. Her hands were on her hips. He groaned inwardly.

"She's a nice girl," she said lowly. Kristoff sighed.

"And?" he asked, smacking the machine again.

"And, it's been _years_, Krissy. Don't you think it's time to put yourself back out there?"

He rolled his eyes. "I'm fine. And I'm not having this conversation with you." She scoffed.

"Yeah, that's why you're beating up on my jukebox." One final smack was all it took for the song to change. With a sigh of relief, the knots in his stomach were gone, and Kristoff was able to return to his dinner in peace.

* * *

**Well this was like 1,000 words longer than chapter one! I hope you liked it! Not only have they met, but lots have been revealed about each other's pasts. Man, do you guys have questions or do you guys have QUESTIONS. **

**ALSO, Beth is this story version's Bulda, obviously. I just changed the name to fit more with the times. Same with Arthur (King Agnarr) and Irene (Queen Iduna).**

**Remember to leave a nice review to make me happy.**

**-TheCleanWriter**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's the next chapter, happy reading!**

**(DISCLAIMER) I don't own anything, you know the drill.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**_Previously on _**_**Christmas Inn-heritance**_**_: _**

_"She's a nice girl," Beth said lowly. Kristoff sighed._

_"And?" he asked, smacking the machine again._

_"And, it's been _years_, Krissy. Don't you think it's time to put yourself back out there?"_

_He rolled his eyes. "I'm fine. And I'm not having this conversation with you." She scoffed._

_"Yeah, that's why you're beating up on my jukebox." One final smack was all it took for the song to change. With a sigh of relief, the knots in his stomach were gone, and Kristoff was able to return to his dinner in peace._

* * *

**Chapter Three:** **Much Ado About Tension**

Anna sat snuggled under the covers of her bed, book in hand. She sighed contently. Her hair was tucked neatly into her tight braids and she was reading her absolute favorite book. '_The Snow Queen_' by Hans Christian Andersen. This book always gave her the warm fuzzies. She'd even imagined what life would be like for herself inside this story a time or two...

Outside her window she could hear the sound of Christmas carolers. Her eyes immediately lit up as she threw her covers aside and bounced toward the window. She looked down at the street below. Sure enough, there they were. Actual, real life carolers. They didn't get very many of these in the big city life of Arendelle, but she wished they did.

After a few minutes of listening to their sweet music, she slowly let the curtains fall back over the window. She sighed as she crawled back into bed. She nuzzled back under the blanket, kicking her feet down towards the end of the bed. Her foot brushed against something furry, and a low gurgling sound flooded the room. Her eyes went wide as she let out a loud scream, once again throwing off the blankets and jumping to the other side of the room.

She stared at the foot of her bed, where the source of the noise had come from. What in the world was that?! Not even a minute later, a loud pounding sounded at her door.

"Miss Ranford, are you okay?" Kristoff's voice called from the other side of the door. Anna swung it open, her face riddled with panic.

"There is an _animal_ in my _bed_!" she nearly shrieked. Kristoff's eyebrows knitted together in confusion and shock and his strode past her into the room. She breathed heavily in the doorway, her arms close to her chest. Guests started to form in the hallway, peeking in to see what all the ruckus was about. Kristoff lifted the comforter and peeked under it.

He did his best not to chuckle.

"It's a good thing you called for help," he said as he reached his arm underneath. Anna stared at him with wide eyes, her mind racing as to what possible creature was under there.

"Because you," he continued. "Were almost viciously attacked...by a hot water bottle." He pulled out a brown, furry bag. Inside was a wriggling, hot bottle. Anna squinted at it. She shook her head.

"What?" she asked in disbelief.

He nodded. "Yup. It's a perk we offer here at the North Mountain Inn during the winter. You can all return to your rooms, folks. The culprit has been apprehended and I can assure you, he will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law." She narrowed her eyes at him.

"You don't have to be so sarcastic about it." This time, he did chuckle. His eyes scanned her up and down. She suddenly remembered the certain short, silk pajamas she was wearing. Like this could get any more humiliating.

"Our guests typically like to sleep in...warmer attire," he said, amusement in his voice. She tucked her arms around herself tightly, her cheeks becoming redder by the second. She rolled her eyes, finally stepping forward to shove him towards the doorway.

"Okay, well, thank you for your help," she said, desperate to hide her ever reddening cheeks. He laughed.

"Would you like another blanket?" She didn't answer, closing the door in his face in response. She dropped her face in her hands. She really should have put on a robe...

* * *

Kristoff chuckled to himself as he turned away from her door and started back to his own room. His mind kept trailing back to that silky nightdress of hers. He had to admit, he certainly liked it when he had picked it up from off the snowy road, but it looked a lot better on her than it did in his hand.

* * *

The next morning, Anna came down to the dining room to find Kristoff talking to some guests. Breakfast was sometimes delivered to the inn from Beth's diner. Luckily she'd been prepared enough to pack some extra clothes, and some _sweaters_, at that.

She smiled as she watched him deal with some crotchety customers. For a guy who didn't seem like he really liked people, he was pretty good at dealing with them when he needed to. She leaned against the door frame.

Kristoff looked up, his eyes catching hers. She bit her lip as a spark coursed through her body. Seriously, what was with the static electricity in this place?!

"Mornin'" he said as he passed. She turned to follow.

"Good morning." There was a certain twinkle in her eye. One that made him woozy. He narrowed his eyes at her from behind the front desk.

"What?" he asked warily. She shrugged, playing with the pine needles on the Christmas tree next to her absentmindedly.

"Oh nothing," she hummed. "I just didn't realize you were such a softie when it came to customer service. I thought you hated people." He rolled his eyes, inciting a giggle from her.

"I don't _hate_ people. They just tend to annoy me..sometimes," he said. "But I know a lot of the people here, and I know where they're coming from. Take Captain Max for example." He nudged his head towards the old, crotchety man that had been arguing with him earlier.

"He used to be a lot sweeter of a guy, up until his wife passed a few years ago. Now? He gets pretty lonely. Every year he spends Christmas here at the inn. So I take it easy on the guy. If he needs someone to get mad at because we don't have a specific coffee creamer, I'll be the one to take the fall," he continued.

Anna's eyes softened as she stared at him. She had been teasing him earlier about the whole 'softie' thing, but now, she really could see it. She opened her mouth to speak again when the front desk phone rang.

"North Mountain Inn, how can I help you?" Kristoff asked into the receiver. After a pause, he looked up at Anna in surprise.

"Uh, yeah, she's right here actually." He held out the phone to her. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. Who would be calling the inn for her? Was it Elsa?

"Hello?" she asked hesitantly.

"Why haven't you been answering my calls?! I've left you like 20 messages!" Hans voice exclaimed over the line. Anna winced at the volume. She held a finger up to Kristoff before turning her back and walking as far out of range as the phone cord would allow her.

"I'm sorry, honey," she began. Kristoff's eyebrows raised at the nickname. Realization slapped him across the face. Of course _that's_ who was calling. Anna sighed.

"There isn't much reception up here. They must not have come through," she finished. She could here him grumbling over the other line.

"Well are you on your way back?" he asked. She grimaced.

"Uh, no, I'm not. Olaf isn't exactly here.." There was a small silence over the line. Oh no. Cue dramatic meltdown in 3...2...1...

"What?! So you're not coming back?! Anna, tonight's my _work party_! You know how important that was for me!" he yelled. She sighed, massaging her forehead with her fingertips. She was sure at this volume, Kristoff could hear even from a few feet away.

Sure enough, he could. Though he was trying his best not to listen in. He was doing everything he could to distract himself from the fact that she was on the phone with her stupid fiancé. Not that he cared. Because he didn't.

"I'm sorry, I know. But I can't leave," she said softly. Hans groaned.

"Well, I guess I can just stick with Sasha at the party." Her eyebrow quirked.

"Sasha?" she asked.

"Yeah, you know. Sasha from accounting. At least I'll have _someone_ to talk to." She rolled her eyes. Was he really trying to guilt trip her right now?

"Yeah, I remember," she mumbled. "I'll be back soon, okay?"

She could still hear his voice, but it was all choppy and broken up. She knitted her brows in confusion.

"Hello? Hans? Hello? You there?" she asked into the receiver. No answer. Soon all that was left was white noise. She turned back towards Kristoff, the phone outstretched towards him.

"Um, I think it died," she said. He took it from her, pressed it to his ear, and hung it back up.

"Looks like the phone lines are down. Happens sometimes when the weather gets this bad." She huffed. Great.

"So," he said suddenly. "Hans. That's the fiancé, huh? The charitable one?"

She nodded, tucking a loose hair behind her ear. "Uh, yeah. That's him."

He pursed his lips, staring at her for a moment before stepping out from behind the counter.

"Sounds like a real keeper." Anna scrunched her face in confusion and offense at his words. Someone was being a little judgy. What crawled up his butt?

"I think that's a little unfair-" she started to say, but Kristoff was _definitely_ through with this particular conversation.

"The weather's still looking pretty nasty. And since I haven't seen Olaf around these parts. I'm guessing you're stuck for another night?" he asked. She crossed her arms in front of her, annoyed at his sudden change in subject. If she didn't have a pressing matter, she wouldn't have let him off so easy...

"Well, yes, but about that..," she said. "I don't exactly have enough money for another night. I used up most my money for the room last night and then with the check for dinner. I just don't think I have enough to cover it.."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "We take credit cards, you know." She laughed awkwardly.

"Don't have 'em." He furrowed his eyebrows in shock.

"What kind of person travels without a credit card?" he asked incredulously. Anna let out a groan, throwing her hands in the air as she began storming back to her room. Why did she even try with this big lug anyway?

A large, calloused hand wrapped gently around her elbow to stop her.

"Anna, wait," Kristoff said. She looked at him, surprise swimming in her big, blue eyes. This was the first time he'd called her by her first name since she'd checked in. He ran a hand through his long, blond hair.

"Look, Gerda's out sick for a few days. I could use a hand around the in. Keeping things tidy, cleaning rooms, the works. If you can help with that, I won't charge for your room," he said. Anna's eyes lit up happily.

She threw her dainty arms around his thick neck so fast it almost sent them both toppling over. Kristoff steadied himself fast, wrapping his arms around her tiny waist in surprise.

"Thank you!" she squealed into his thick sweater. He smiled as he tightened his grip ever so slightly.

* * *

"We have this room booked, so it needs to be cleaned out within the next few hours," Kristoff explained as they walked through the halls towards the room some guests had just checked out of. Anna nodded. He was pushing the housekeeping cart. She'd never cleaned a room like this before...but she was excited to learn!

He smiled at her as he put the key in the lock.

"But it shouldn't take too long," he said, swinging it open. Together, their jaws dropped at the scene. Garbage littered the floor. There were left behind articles of clothing that the guests hadn't bothered to take with them. The decorations were thrown about, empty alcohol bottles and red solo cups everywhere, and sadly much, _much_ more.

"Oh boy..," Anna muttered under her breath. Kristoff cracked a small smirk as he slapped a gentle hand on her upper back.

"Happy cleaning! I'll check on you in a bit." And with that, he was out the door, leaving only her and the housekeeping cart behind. She gulped before pulling out a large garbage bag.

With a deep breath, she narrowed her eyes in determination.

"Let's do this." She shoveled trash and all things non decor/inn related into the trash bags. That had gone by fast enough. Next she sprayed and wiped down all the different surfaces. She didn't trust where those things had been.

Next, she cracked out the vacuum. It was very old, but after a few minutes of poking, prodding, and cursing, she'd figured out how it worked. Then away she went! Vacuuming every which way.

Eventually as she came across the bed, she'd made the mistake of missing a pair of tossed aside boxers that had been carelessly left under the bed. The vacuum, however, did not miss them. Her eyes widened as she watched the colorful underwear suck into the long tube.

"Oh no no no no no!" she muttered, desperately turning over the vacuum nose and pulling at the not yet completely sucked up boxers. Her efforts, however, were in vain. Up the tube they went and into the main filter.

Her eyes widened more at the sound and site of the rattling machine. She backed up as far against the wall as she could. This was bad. This was so, so, _so_ bad! Kristoff was going to kill her! If she didn't die from this thing already; it looked like it was going to explode!

...oh my gosh. IT LOOKED LIKE IT WAS GOING TO EXPLODE! Anna's mind raced as she debated making a run for the door. She'd have to jump the machine to do it. What if it blew right as she jumped? Was it better to stay here as far as she could stand from it?

She didn't know. All that was racing through her mind was what if this was the end?! She was still so young! There was so much she still wanted to do in life! There were so many things she had left to do, and to say, no less!

She'd never be able to tell Kristoff she loves him! Wait. What? No, _Hans_. She'd never be able to tell _Hans_ she loves him, ever again.

The machine rattled harder and faster. Anna let out a small squeak before covering her face with her arms.

* * *

Kristoff had just finished another room and stepped out into the hallway. Having Anna helping him clean out the rooms would _definitely_ help save him some time with check ins.

Suddenly a small explosion sounded behind him. He whipped around, his eyes wide and glued to the door connected to the room Anna was cleaning. That's where the source of the noise had come from. He cursed under his breath.

With only a few large steps, he was right outside it. He held his breath as he swung open the door, terrified of the site that he might see before him. Gray specks snowed down from the ceiling to the floor below. Dust covered nearly every exposed inch of the room. A head-to-toe covered Anna coughed.

"...Sorry," she said sheepishly. Kristoff's shoulders slumped as he stared at the condition of the room. Besides all the dirt and dust, the rest of the room was relatively clean. He would have to the move the incoming guest into a different room, but this room wouldn't take too long to clean with the help of a new vacuum.

A small smile played at his lips as he looked her over. Her usual red hair was caked in matted gray. She was currently wiping away the dust from her eyes. How could her stupid _mistakes_ be this adorable?

Kristoff shook his head hard before stepping into the room to help her out. She gratefully took his hand to be guided to the hallway.

"Go get cleaned up. I'll see if I can track down another vacuum." She nodded, a small tinge of the deep red that was embellishing her cheeks shining through the dust on her skin.

"Thanks," she muttered, scurrying off to her nearby room. He shook his head, chuckling to himself as he turned his attention back to the state of the room. He had his hands full with this girl.

* * *

Anna turned off the hot water to her shower, basking in the dissipating steam. It had taken longer than expected to scrub all the dust and dirt out of her hair.

She stepped out of the shower and reached for her fuzzy towel, wrapping it around herself quickly. The air in her bathroom was surprising temperate. The steam had definitely helped keep the small bathroom heated.

She ran a brush through her red, wet hair smoothly. Then she piled a loose bun on top of her head for the time being. She'd probably braid it again later. A knock sounded loudly at her bedroom door. Slowly she opened the bathroom door, and peeked her head into the colder main room.

"Anna?" Kristoff's voice called from the hallway. She bit her lip quickly. What did he need from her so soon? She'd literally _just_ gotten out of the shower! She hurriedly dropped the towel to the floor and threw on her complimentary robe before answering the door. Kristoff's eyes widened ever so slightly as he saw her.

She swore she saw him gulp.

* * *

It was obvious she had just gotten out of the shower. Her hair was wet and in a loose bun on top of her head. Her skin was still wet around her neck where the robe was still exposed.

Kristoff did his best to keep her gaze. He refused to let his mind, and especially his eyesight, wander to that little water droplet dripping from her jawline, down her neck, headed straight for her-

"I figured you could use some warmer clothes to work in," he said quickly, his voice somewhat strangled. He held out a thick plaid shirt towards her through the small opening. She smiled softly as she took it from him.

"Thank you," she said gratefully. He dipped his head in response, rubbing his neck awkwardly.

"Sorry I, uh, intruded," he mumbled. She waved him off.

"No, you're fine." He nodded, his gaze switching to the floor. In the process of doing so, his eyes caught wind of the subtle goosebumps piercing her wet skin from the cold air.

He sucked in a breath.

"Well I should get back to work," he said, swiftly jutting out his thumb at the hallway behind him and spinning on his heel. Anna bit her lip before closing the door behind him.

* * *

She smiled down at the shirt in her hands. It really was a thoughtful gesture. She hadn't packed very warm clothes and he didn't want the clothes she _had_ packed to get ruined by all the work she had to do around the inn.

She finished drying off and braided her hair. After picking out a pair of warm jeans, some thick socks, and shirt underneath, Anna finally slipped Kristoff's larger plaid button-up on top. It was fairly large for her, but strangely felt like a perfect fit.

She brought the collar to her nose and inhaled deeply. Anna closed her eyes and smiled as Kristoff's scent filled her nose. He smelt like pine needles and cinnamon. Her nose was still buried deep inside the collar of his shirt when realization of what she was doing hit her hard and her eyes snapped open wide.

Anna cleared her throat, dropped her hands, and straightened the shirt. It was just a shirt... A shirt she could spend all day sniffing and cuddling, but it was just a shirt, nonetheless...

* * *

The sight of Anna in his shirt had nearly knocked Kristoff off his feet. Instantly he knew he had made a mistake dropping it off at her door.

She smiled brightly at him, his long sleeves neatly rolled her to her wrists. He gulped.

"Thank you for lending me your shirt. It's very comfy." He cleared his throat.

"No problem," he mumbled, doing his best to keep himself distracted. "I was able to track down another vacuum, but it won't get here till later. So we'll have to find something else for you to do in the meantime." She nodded.

"Sure! Put me to work!" He cracked a smile at her. When she'd first arrived, he'd formed an immediate impression about her. He assumed she was some rich, big city girl who would most likely complain that the inn wasn't a 5-star resort and wouldn't lift a finger to do anything for herself.

But he was wrong.

She was kind, helpful, down-to-Earth. She didn't seem to look down on him or treat him different. In fact, she treated him a lot better than some of the people around here. He liked that about her. He liked just _being_ around her.

Kristoff shook the thought from his head.

"What is it you do again?" he asked, changing his train of thought. All Anna could and would ever be to him was a friend. He had to remember that. She bit her lip, her eyes widening ever so slightly.

* * *

She hadn't thought that far into her charade. Should she say she worked for _Home & Heart Gifts_? But what if he asked what she did? Or what she aspired to do? Or drew to much of a connection regarding her name? She couldn't take the risk.

"Uh...," Anna started, still unsure of what to say. Her gaze flickered to an old flyer over Kristoff's shoulder. It was advertising a bake off. The metaphorical lightbulb inside of her brain clicked on.

"I'm a baker!" She finished. "Yep, that's me. Anna the Baker. Who bakes." The corners of his mouth twitched upwards again.

"Anna the Baker, who bakes?" She nodded, rubbing back of her neck awkwardly.

"Yep! And you guys don't have a kitchen! Which is just too bad, you know. Because _that_ is where I really shine. But y-you don't. You don't have one," she stammered.

Kristoff pursed his lips. "Actually..."

* * *

Beth tightened the apron around Anna's waste eagerly. The redhead smiled nervously at the large woman. Beth had graciously lent Anna her kitchen to use for her baking for the inn. Something Anna was far less than thrilled about.

"I've got some tables to clear, so I'm going to get out of your hair and let you get started," Kristoff's adopted mother said cheerily. Anna felt her stomach drop.

"Oh, you weren't going to be baking with me?" she asked, trying to hide the fear from her voice. Beth rested a warm, comforting hand on her arm.

"I'll be done in a jiff, why don't you start separating the eggs," she said, motioning her head towards the large basket of eggs.

Anna swallowed hard. She picked two up and examined them closely. Separate how? They all looked the same. Maybe by weight..?

* * *

Beth wiped down her favorite booth, the one with the plaque and the photos. She was proud of her diner and its place in history. She smiled at the picture of Arthur Randelle with his wife Irene and their two daughters.

She tilted her head, crawling alongside the booth as she got closer to the photo. One daughter had pale blonde hair. She was the oldest, the one currently running the company. Elsa.

Her gaze traveled to the other daughter atop Arthur's shoulders. She had beautiful red hair and was smiling brightly. She had her father's smile and her mother's eyes. Her mind racked itself for her name, though somewhere inside she already knew.

_Anna_.

She shook her head, smiling at the framed photo of the happy family.

"I should've known," she said softly.

* * *

Beth peeked her head back into the kitchen. Anna was staring defeatedly at the basket in front of her. The larger woman chuckled to herself. Slowly, she approached. Anna straightened her composure as she did so.

"So I know you said to separate the eggs, but I wasn't sure if you meant separate them by weight or size or by the distance they roll in a straight line..." she trailed off. Beth chuckled, shaking her head.

"You're not a baker, are you, sweetie?" she asked. Anna dropped her face in her hands.

"I watch the cooking channel? Sometimes...at the gym..." She propped her chin up onto her palms. "I did bake with my mom when I was little. But all I mostly did was stir." Beth nodded.

"Knowing Irene, I'm sure she loved that." Anna's gaze snapped to the large woman in surprise. Her mouth hung open wide.

"You..you know?" she stammered. Beth nodded again, placing a comforting hand onto Anna's shoulders.

"I can't believe I didn't recognize your father's smile sooner. And not to mention, you look just like your sister!" Anna ducked her head sheepishly before returning her attention to Beth.

"Please don't tell anyone," she begged. "It's part of the deal with my sister. I'm not supposed to let anyone know who I am." Beth smiled broadly at her.

"Your secret is safe with me," she said confidently. Anna smiled in return.

Beth looked intently at her. "You know, Kristoff was married once." Anna's eyebrows furrowed in surprise.

"Oh. I wasn't aware." Beth nodded.

"He met her when he was in Arendelle for business school a few years ago. She was some expensive lawyer. And Kristoff was head over heels in love," she said. Anna felt her stomach drop at her words. She couldn't picture Kristoff head over heels for, well, anyone. He seemed so nailed down. He didn't seem like the type who would be floating above the clouds in love.

Beth sighed. "But she one day up and left him. For one of her clients, no less. Left him absolutely heartbroken. He's been closed off ever since, not a single date in years." Anna's heart ached for the burly blond. No wonder he acted so rough around the edges sometimes.

"My point it," Beth continued. "Krissy's a good man. And I don't want to see him get hurt again." Anna shook her head.

"I'm not here to hurt anyone," she said sincerely. "I'm just here to drop off my dad's letters to Olaf and help as much as I can." Beth smiled at her. She liked this girl.

"Then let's teach you how to bake!"

* * *

Anna and Beth and spent the rest of the day baking. After awhile, Anna was starting to really pride herself on her new found baking skills. They'd returned to the inn and begun passing out all the cookies.

Anna smiled as she heard the compliments from the guests gushing about her fresh, homemade gingerbread man cookies. A warm feeling of pride flooded her. She'd never felt something like this before. People really loved something _she_ created.

A snow covered Kristoff suddenly stomped into the inn, shaking off the white powder that covered him head to toe. Anna and Beth looked at him in surprise. He panted briefly, before swinging the door open wider for the crowd of people behind him.

"Come on inside," he said. People poured into the inn, all rushing towards the warm fireplace. Anna furrowed her brows in confusion.

"Uh, what's going on?" she asked as she approached Kristoff and the town sheriff, Sven.

"We've got a major blizzard coming in," Sheriff Sven said. "Knocked out the power on the East side of town. The temperatures' getting dangerous. They don't have any heat for the night. We moved most everyone to the shelters, but we still need a place for these folks."

"We've got a backup generator for emergencies and plenty of firewood to keep everyone warm. We've got a few more rooms, I'll see how many people we can squeeze in for the night," Kristoff said.

Beth sprang into action, ushering the freezing newcomers towards the warm fire and offering hot chocolate to any takers. Kristoff pulled at the hat on his head.

"I'm gonna go get some more firewood," he said, making his way back towards the front door. Sven nodded. The radio on his shoulder suddenly crackled to life.

"Hey Sheriff, we got a 10-66 over by Lakewood Road," a voice said.

"Copy that," he said before turning back to Anna. "I gotta get back out there." She bit her lip.

"Good luck!" she called after him. He flashed her a kind smile.

Beth approached the redhead, letting it a large sigh.

"Boy, is it good Sven and Kristoff thought to bring everyone here. That storm is getting nasty," she said. Anna nodded.

"There's hardly any rooms left. How are we going to fit all these people in?" she asked. Beth shrugged.

"We'll figure it out. Can't leave anybody out in the cold." Anna scrunched her face again, her mind wandering. Out in the cold... Baxter, the homeless man her and Kristoff had seen on the walk to Beth's diner.

Her eyes quickly scanned the room for any sign of him. Her stomach dropped at the lack of one. She quickly turned to the coat rack, slipping her scarf over her head and shrugging her heaviest coat onto her shoulders. It still probably wasn't warm enough for this weather, but it would have to do.

"Where exactly are you going?" Beth asked. Anna shrugged her off.

"I'll be back soon." She hoped. The larger woman shook her head.

"Oh honey, it's freezing out there!" Anna waved her off once more, heading faster for the door.

"I'll be fine!" she yelled over he shoulder. What was more important was saving Baxter. And there was no one who was going to convince Anna out of it.

She tugged at her coat as she ran down the front steps and out into the blizzard.

* * *

Kristoff shook off the snow from his burly form as he stepped into the warm inn. He brought the box of firewood he'd gathered near the fire to dry. Beth looked at him, puzzled.

"Where's Anna?" she asked. He cocked an eyebrow at her.

"What do you mean?"

"She isn't with you?" He shook his head.

"No, why would she be?" Beth wiped her hands nervously.

"When she went outside, I thought she was going out to help you-" she started. Kristoff's eyes widened.

"She went _outside_?!"

* * *

**This chapter was my longest yet. Did I make it worth your while?! I sure made it worth Kristoff's ;) Ended on sort of a cliffy! But don't worry, next chapter is written and coming real soon. Follow for update notifications!**

**Leave nice reviews to make me smile and keep writing happy things!**

**For those of you reading today, Merry Christmas!**

**-TheCleanWriter**


	4. Chapter 4

**(DISCLAIMER) Yada yada, I don't own anything, yada yada**

**Enjoy much!**

* * *

**Previously on **_**Christmas Inn-heritance**_**_:_**

_"Where's Anna?" she asked. He cocked an eyebrow at her._

_"What do you mean?"_

_"She isn't with you?" He shook his head._

_"No, why would she be?" Beth wiped her hands nervously._

_"When she went outside, I thought she was going out to help you-" she started. Kristoff's eyes widened._

_"She went _outside_?!"_

* * *

**Chapter Four: Mistle-no**

Kristoff ran a hand through his wet hair. His mother's eyes filled with worry. His own darted towards the window. He watched the harsh winds whip the snow drafts around.

There was _no_ reason for her to have gone out there.

"I've got to go find her," he said gruffly, pulling his hat back onto his head. He stomped towards the front door. What in the world was she thinking?! He'd nearly reached the front door when it swung open widely.

A shivering and snow covered Anna quickly scurried through the door, dragging someone along with her. She panted lightly from the brisk walk as she pulled him towards the fire. Kristoff's eyes sparked in recognition. _Baxter_.

"Come sit by the fire," she said softly. "It'll warm you right up." Baxter looked at the crowd sheepishly.

"As long as you folks don't mind?" he asked hesitantly. "I don't want to cause no trouble." Kristoff shook the shock from his expression and motioned him forward.

"No, you're always welcome here. Come sit by the fire, get warm. Please," he said. Baxter gratefully nodded, taking the seat closest to the fire. Kristoff then turned to Anna. His stomach lurched at the sight of her clothing. Not only had she gone out in the worst storm they'd had all season, but she did so almost completely underdressed!

He stomped his way over to her. Her eyebrows perked in surprise.

"What on Earth were you thinking?! Going out _there_? Alone?!" he asked, his voice was low but harsh. Anna loosened her scarf, sliding it off from around her neck.

"I was thinking Baxter was going to freeze to death if someone didn't go out to get him." He crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"You should have come to get me or called for the Sheriff. That was incredibly reckless!" Anna tilted her head, a soft smile playing at her lips. Kristoff furrowed his brows at her. Why was she so happy? He was furious!

"You were worried about me," she said, a certain teasiness to her voice. A soft pink grazed his cheeks.

"What? I-I was not. I was worried about..your clothes. Or should I say lack thereof," he stammered.

She giggled. "You were worried about my lack of clothes?" He rolled his eyes.

"Yes, I was. And you're still pretty new here. You don't know this town very well. You could've gotten lost. No one knew where you were, who knows what could have happened." She bit her lip.

"Alright, I promise I'll come get you next time," she said. His shoulders relaxed, if only slightly.

"Thank you."

"But I'll still be coming with," she finished. He groaned, shaking his head in frustration. She was a tenacious one, he had to give her credit for that. He turned back around to look at Baxter once more. He also had to admit that without her, they probably would have forgotten about the poor guy. She had a big heart.

His shoulders relaxed some more. "Disregarding _temporarily_ how dangerous and reckless that stunt was, you did good," he said, his tone softer. "I'm...impressed."

A soft shade of pink now grazed her cheeks at his words. He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Thank you," she said shyly. He nodded, his eyes shifting to his feet.

"And Kristoff?" He looked up at her again. "My _clothes_ thank you too." He scoffed, rolling his eyes with a small smile on his lips.

They sat for a moment in silence, simply enjoying the moment. The storm was raging outside, yet they and everyone here with them was warm and safe. Kristoff fought back a sigh.

_Anna_ was warm and safe.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her shiver. Well, she was safe at least, if not warm. He smiled at her softly.

"Care for some hot chocolate?" he asked. Her eyes lit up.

"Yes, please!"

* * *

It was getting late and Kristoff had already filled up the rest of the rooms that he had. That left only a couple of stragglers left. He ran a hand through his hair as he thought.

"We have a few couches down here if people don't mind, and we'll be keeping the fire going all night so it'll be plenty warm," he said, trying to sound as encouraging as possible. But even then, it still wasn't enough.

"We've got the honeymoon suite. It's got a big couch on the other side of the room. We'd be happy to share," a man said. Kristoff turned to look at him. He was holding his new bride's hand. She was smiling assuredly.

Kristoff shook his head. "Thank you, but I can't ask you to do that," he said. They waved him off.

"Nonsense. We insist." He smiled. Grumpy Captain Max stood from his chair.

"Kristoff, I'd like to offer up my room. I'm only one person, I can take the honeymooners' couch. My hearing isn't the best anymore anyway," he said with a wink towards the couple. Kristoff smiled even wider.

"Thank you, Captain Max," he said gratefully. He turned to the larger family. "We'll put you all in the Captain's room for the night."

He then turned to a young mother and her two daughters. One was a little girl, the other only a baby. He crossed his arms in front of him.

"Now, for you three..," he trailed off. Anna cleared her throat from her spot clearing the tables behind him. He turned around to look at her.

"My room has a couch too," she said softly. "I'd be happy to share it." Kristoff's heart pounded at her words. The first impression he'd built of her was constantly crumbling down by the minute.

"Oh no, please," the young mother said. "We don't want to intrude." Anna waved them off.

"It's totally fine! I love babies. And it's the least I could do for this place." The woman smiled brightly at her.

"Say thank you to the nice lady," she whispered to her daughter. The little girl smiled shyly at her.

"Thank you, nice lady." Kristoff's eyes met hers, a soft smile on his face.

"Thank you," he mouthed. She nodded wordlessly. The little girl tugged on her mother's sleeve.

"Mommy, will Santa be able to find us here?" she asked, her voice stricken with fear. "It's only two days until Christmas!" The woman bit her lip.

"We hopefully will be back home before then, but even if we're not, I'm sure he'll still be able to find you," she said. The little girl nodded, her face sad. Anna smiled at the two. They were so innocent and sweet.

Maybe this was more than just a small hick town.

* * *

Anna showed the three girls to her room. The young mom was anxiously bouncing her crying baby on her shoulder. She looked stressed to her wits end.

"I'm sorry," she said, her voice strained. "It's been so hard with Peter gone. He's my husband. He's on deployment right now and was _supposed_ to be back for Christmas, but I guess he hasn't been able to make it back to town yet." Anna nodded. Being an army wife must be like being a single mom a lot of the time.

"Don't you worry about it," she said as comfortingly as she could. "I think you're doing a great job." The woman laughed.

"Mommy! You forgot Blinky!" The little girl cried as she pawed through the bag they'd brought with them. Her mother's eyes widened.

"Oh sweetie, he has to be in there. I swear I grabbed him," she said, panic rising I her voice. She turned to Anna quickly. "Can you take her?"

Before she could answer, the baby was passed off into her arms. Anna froze for a second, unsure of what to do. It only took a few seconds before she was wrapped around this baby's finger.

She bounced her lightly in her arms. The baby's cries slowly quieted. The mother sighed, pushing the bag aside and taking her older daughter into her arms.

"I'm so sorry, sweetie. I thought I grabbed him. We must have left him at the house," she said. Anna quirked an eyebrow.

"Left who?" she asked.

"Blinky!" The little girl exclaimed. "My dog!"

"Her _stuffed_ dog."

"I can't sleep without him!" she continued. Anna bit her lip, her mind searching for what to do to help. The metaphorical lightbulb worked its magic again as she snatched the stuffed snowman from her windowsill.

"Well this guy seems lonely. And I know for a fact that snowmen _love_ warm hugs. Do you think Blinky would mind if you kept him company tonight?" she asked. The little girl eyed the snowman suspiciously before slowly taking him into her own arms and squeezing him tightly.

She shook her head, smiling up at her. Anna smiled.

"Good," she said. She turned her attention back to the mother. "And I've been thinking about it. I'll take the couch, you three have the bed."

She shook her head vigorously.

"Heavens no! This is your room!" Anna shrugged.

"There's only one of me and three of you. I don't need the whole bed to myself. Please, I really do insist." Tears brimmed the tired mother's eyes.

"Thank you," she said softly. Anna nodded. A knock sounded at the door. Kristoff peeked his head in, some extra sheets and pillows in hand. His gaze caught the sight of Anna and the baby. A breath hitched in his throat.

"Looks like you made a new friend," he said. She smiled down at the happy baby. Warmth filled her stomach.

"She likes me," she said happily. She hadn't thought much about the idea of having kids of her own. Hans wasn't much of a fan of the idea. Sure he thought it would be good for the public image, but he wasn't the biggest fan of kids.

Anna, on the other hand, _adored_ all things babies and children. It was one of her favorite parts of being involved in the gift giving business: giving to the children.

Her favorite events to help organize were those that involved kids or interacting with them. Anna was pretty much a big kid herself, so it was needless to say that they adored her just as much.

She only dreamed of the day she would have one of her own.

* * *

Kristoff knew there had to have been a dopey smile on his face by the look Amy, the army wife sharing Anna's room, was giving him. But for just a moment, he didn't mind if she could see it.

The way she looked bouncing that baby, staring so lovingly at her with her big, blue eyes. Kristoff couldn't help but smile so goofily at her.

He'd always wanted a family of his own. His ex had refused the idea of having kids. It was one of the many red flags in their relationship as to why they didn't work that he was too blind to see, or rather, had chosen to simply overlook. He was young, dumb, and tragically in love.

But looking at Anna right now, all that bitterness from his past melted away. She was simply...glowing.

Finally, the moment begun to fade and reality came rushing back. He shook his head, dropping the extra sheets and pillows onto the bed.

"I figured you could use these. If you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask," he said quickly. Amy shot him a knowing smirk.

"We will, thanks." Kristoff blushed, quickly hiding his face as he stalked towards the door.

* * *

Anna watched his retreating form as he closed the door behind him. Amy smiled at her, taking the baby back into her arms.

"You know, he really is such a nice guy." Anna smiled at the closed door where Kristoff had just been standing.

"He is, isn't he?"

* * *

After Amy and the girls went to bed, Anna came back downstairs to clean up. There were still empty hot chocolate cups everywhere. She silently snuck through the lobby wiping down tables. There were people asleep on the couches by the dwindling fire. She looked up to see a nearby door ajar. A light was shining from inside. She tilted her head curiously.

She stepped cautiously towards the door, rag still in hand. Curiosity killed the cat, but hey, you only live once, right? Inside she found rows of delicate wood carvings lining a tall shelving unit. Her jaw dropped open slightly as she lightly grazed them with her fingers. The designs were so intricate and detailed. They looked expertly done. She rounded the corner of the shelving unit to see Kristoff.

His back was turned to her. He was hunched over his desk, drawing a design onto a small plank of wood. The corner of her mouth quirked upwards as she watched him. He had his jacket off, leaving him in a thin t-shirt. She could see his rippling back muscles, moving as he worked. She took in a deep breath before knocking against the metal bar of the shelving unit. His head turned, a smile instantly blossoming on his lips as his eyes landed on her.

"Hey," he said happily. Embarrassment quickly flooded his features as he flipped the block of wood he was currently doodling on over. She stepped forward.

"You're an artist?" she asked. He shook his head.

"Hardly," he said, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "You're up late." She shrugged, twirling the rag around in her hands.

"I was just doing some cleaning. Did you need anything?" He shook his head again.

"Uh, no. I'm good. Thank you," he said, smiling softly. He was starting to find it harder and harder not to around her. "You should get some sleep though."

She nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right." Anna turned on her heel, making her way towards the door. Her eyebrow perched at the sight of rows of little cheap trinkets lining the backside of the shelves.

"So, were you planning on telling me about this cheap toy store you were opening up or was I supposed to wait for the grand opening?" she teased. He chuckled, picking a single flier from the stack on his work desk.

"I may have gone to business school, but I'm not _that_ stupid," he said with a wink. Anna's stomach fluttered. He handed the flier to her.

"Those are items for the upcoming 'Dinner with Santa' silent auction. The town's throwing it to raise money for our local soup kitchen. It's been kind of a rough year for some folks here...," he said slowly.

Anna smiled at him warmly.

"Wow...," she started. She turned around to pluck a single bobble head Santa from the shelf. Retail price for was probably no more than a dollar.

"Well you're sitting on a gold mine here! I mean, this alone?! It could go for a couple million. Easy," she continued, a certain sparkle in her eye. Kristoff laughed. A real, genuine, hearty laugh.

He hadn't laughed like that in years.

"Yeah, you can have that," he said. He picked up a box full of the Santa bobble heads and jiggled them at her. "There's plenty more where that came from."

Anna giggled, tucking the bobble head close to her chest.

"I'll treasure him forever!" she exclaimed cheerfully. Kristoff broke out into another wide smile. He quickly wiped it away as fast as it had come.

"The inn has kept me so busy, I guess I just haven't had a lot of time to go around to local businesses asking for donations," he said. "Which has left us with these lucky numbers being our best items up for grabs."

He picked up a straw floppy beach hat and waved it through the air. Anna did her best to suppress her laugh. Her attempt was only half in vain.

"Oh...that's, um, nice. When's the auction again?"

"The day after tomorrow." She grimaced. He nodded.

"Yeah. I know. We're in trouble." Anna's eyes gazed around the room, landing on his wood carvings again.

"You should put some of these up for auction," she said, excitement filling her voice. "I mean, they'd sell really well. They look amazing!"

Kristoff blushed. "I don't, uh, I don't know." Anna tilted her head at him. He stuffed his hands in his pockets again, rocking on the back of his heels.

She sighed. "Alright, you're the artist. But you should know that you really _do_ have a lot of talent here." He smiled a bit at her.

"Thank you," he said shyly. She bit her lip, her arms crossing her chest as she thought for a moment.

"Do you always do this much to help people?" she asked. He looked at her in surprise. "I mean, everyone. Does everyone, around here, in this town, do this much to help people?"

He shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. Whenever we can. But you help people too." She waved him off.

"Not like you," she said. He nudged his head towards the lobby door.

"Baxter our there would probably beg to differ." A warm smile slipped its way onto her lips as an even warmer feeling blossomed inside her. It really felt good knowing that she'd helped someone like Baxter so much today.

She jutted her thumb towards the door.

"Alright, I'm really gonna go this time," she said quietly. He nodded, a twinge of sadness in his eyes at the thought of her leaving so soon. She squeezed the bobble head as she started her way towards the door.

Kristoff took a deep breath before taking a daring step forward.

"Uh, wait!" he called out. She stopped, turning around to look at him. "Do you, uh, wanna go for a walk or something?"

She furrowed her eyebrows at him. "Like outside?"

"Yes?"

"Now?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Why?"

He smiled. "Because I want to show you something?"

Her eyes sparkled with amusement. "In this weather?" He shrugged.

"Why not?" She pursued her lips at him.

"Can I at least borrow a warmer coat?"

* * *

Anna skipped alongside Kristoff as they walked. He'd lent her one of his older jackets. It was too small for him, but still drowned her. At least it was still plenty warm. He'd also given her one of his larger, furry earmuff hats to wear as well. She was a tiny girl, she needed all the warmth she could get!

"I really do think you have a lot of talent," she said suddenly after a few minutes of silence. "I just think you need to take a risk. A few big, bold moves to put yourself out there."

He shrugged. "Big, bold moves aren't really my thing. They don't, uh, really work out for me." She nodded slightly, her joyful skip slowing.

"Right," she said. "Because of Arendelle." Her eyes widened a bit. She really hadn't meant to bring it up, it'd just slipped out. He furrowed his brows, looking at her curiously before realization dawned on him.

"Beth told you," he sighed, coming to a stop. She grimaced, twisting her fingers around in her hand.

"It may have come up when we were baking cookies..," she said slowly. "But she didn't share too much, I swear!" Kristoff chuckled a bit, continuing their pace down the street.

He turned them down a path leading into the woods. Anna stared in amazement at the sparkling snow hanging from the delicate branches around them.

"I never really suspected anything. Honestly, thinking about it makes me feel like a total idiot," he said, shaking his head as he stared at his moving feet. Anna rested a hand on his arm.

"Hey, no way are you blaming yourself for what _she_ did right now." He sent her a soft smile.

"We were just in two different worlds. On some level, we never worked. I guess I just tried to ignore that as long as I did. She was a successful lawyer, and I was in debt, in business school. But I thought I was in love. I thought she was going to be the one," he continued.

Anna left her hand there for support. In truth, Kristoff liked it. It made him feel comfortable. Safe. He hadn't opened up to anybody about what had happened with his divorce outside his adopted mother and his best friend, Sven.

"One night, at around Christmas time, we go out to dinner at this fancy restaurant. I thought the evening was going fine. Then out of nowhere, in the middle of the risotto, she drops the bomb. Just says, 'It's over, I'm leaving.'"

Anna's heart broke for him. She couldn't imagine what that was like so out of the blue. In such a public setting, no less.

"After she explained the affair and everything, she got up to leave. Then as of on cue, the band started playing 'Silent Night'," he finished. Anna bit her lip.

"So now every time that song comes on, you..," she trailed off. He nodded.

"I can't stand it. Every time I hear it, it's like a constant reminder of my failed marriage. That something about me wasn't enough for her," he said, his tone defeated. "I know, it sounds stupid. I should probably be over it by now."

She shook her head. "Are you kidding? The song 'Christmas Shoes' still makes me cry to this day, and I don't even have any traumatic backstory related to it!" He laughed.

Her face fell as she thought.

"But seriously, I think there's things you just never actually get over..," she said, her tone more serious. He raised an eyebrow at her, silently insisting she continue. She bit her lip nervously.

Sure she was starting to feel more and more comfortable around this guy. And sure he had just dug really deep and majorly opened up to her, but was she _really_ ready to do the same?

"You, uh, had something to show me?" she asked. He nodded, motioning his head further up the trail.

"Yeah, it's right up here." They continued around the bend of trees until they came to a clearing. Anna's jaw slacked open again as her gaze fell on the different ice sculptures in front of her.

She gingerly stepped forward, afraid to get too close to any and knock them over. She'd seen ice sculptures at their events before, but none like these.

"Wow," she breathed. Kristoff smiled from behind her, keeping his distance at the trailhead as she weaved between the sculptures.

"Did you do these?" she asked, her eyes never leaving the ice. He stuffed his hands into his coat pockets.

"I designed the initial carvings, but a local sculpting school actually did them. They do a contest every year. They're unveiling them all tomorrow, so I guess you're getting a sneak peek," he said.

Anna bit back the instinct to reach out and touch them. They looked as smooth as glass, and were so _detailed_. She couldn't believe he had come up with so many different unique concepts!

"Well you certainly had their work cut out for them," she said, flashing him a smile. "These are incredible." He blushed a bit, hoping the pink from the cold hid it enough.

"Thank you," he said shyly, rubbing the back of his neck with his gloved hand. "They're, uh, a big hit with the tourists every season." She nodded.

"They're a big hit with this tourist," she said. She flashed him a look. "So is the artist.." Kristoff looked at her in surprise. He rocked back on his heels.

"The tourist isn't so bad herself.." Anna bit her lip again, thinking back to her last conversation. She did feel safe around him. And he obviously felt safe around her.. She hadn't opened up to anyone about her parents, not even Hans. What harm could it do?

She took a shaky breath, rounding near him again.

"When I was a teenager," she started. "My parents died. That's a thing I can't get over.." Kristoff furrowed his brows sympathetically. He'd lost his own parents as well, but he was so young, he hardly remembered anything about them. But for Anna, that must have been a whole different world of hurt.

"I'm so sorry," he said sincerely. She shot him a small smile.

"They came from a beautiful, small town. Just like this one. But once they died, I could never bring myself to go back. And I guess I started to just live my life like nothing else mattered, because, I guess at the time, it felt like nothing really did," she said sadly.

Kristoff stared at her. Her normally cheery blue eyes were now drowning in sorrow. A small twinge tugged at the corner of her mouth as she looked back up at him.

"But these past few days...you especially, have taught me that some things still do matter," she finished. A smile slipped onto Kristoff's lips at her words.

They stared at each other for a moment, their gazes locked. No matter how hard either tried, they just couldn't look away. Kristoff dared a step forward. He could feel her breath on his lips.

It sent a chill down his spine.

"Is, uh, is this the part where we're supposed to kiss?" he asked. Anna's eyes flickered from his eyes to his warm, plump lips, back to his eyes again. A soft smile dared to cross her lips.

"I think so?" she whispered. They leaned closer forward. Anna could feel his lips brush against hers. Energy blasted through her. Until a name screamed through her brain.

_Hans_.

What was she doing?!

"I can't!" she exclaimed quickly, pulling away at the absolute last second. Kristoff looked at her in surprise.

Her heart pounded. Had she really almost cheated on her fiancé?! This was not who she was! She may be the so called 'party heiress', but she was no dirty rotten cheat!

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" she continued. "It's just, I'm still engaged. And even if I may want to, like _really_ want to, I can't." She wanted to jump in a lake right about now. She was basically stumbling over her words, embarrassing herself after having just rejected the guy!

Kristoff rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"No, no, please. Don't apologize. That was absolutely my bad. I should never have tried to kiss you. I mean, you're engaged. I, just—wow. This is, uh, oh...boy."

Anna nodded, biting her lip. How could she have let herself fall into this situation?

"I-I should go," she stammered. He nodded. She started walking away, mentally beating herself over again. What was she thinking?! Kristoff?! She was enga-

"Goin' the wrong way!" Kristoff called awkwardly after her. She grimaced, spinning on her heel and walking past him once more.

"Right," she mumbled. "This way. Got it." Kristoff stared up at the sky as she passed. This was a whole new level of awkward he'd never achieved before..

* * *

**Whew! Two long chapters in a row! You lucky ducks. Well my, my. Lots has happened, hasn't it? Lot's of cuteness and awkwardness has ensued, hasn't it? **

**I'm uploading another chapter along with once again since I'm a little behind. The last chapter was supposed to be up by Christmas day, but I didn't even finish writing until Christmas Eve. I like to finish my stories before I upload them to ensure they're always completed for you guys. Keep reading to see what comes next!**

**Leave something pretty in the review section. Peace. **

**-TheCleanWriter**


	5. Chapter 5

**(DISCLAIMER) Nothing's changed...still unowned :P**

**But happy reading!**

* * *

**Previously on _Christmas Inn-heritance:_**

_How could she have let herself fall into this situation?_

_"I-I should go," she stammered. He nodded. She started walking away, mentally beating herself over again. What was she thinking?! Kristoff?! She was enga-_

_"Goin' the wrong way!" Kristoff called awkwardly after her. She grimaced, spinning on her heel and walking past him once more._

_"Right," she mumbled. "This way. Got it." Kristoff stared up at the sky as she passed. This was a whole new level of awkward he'd never achieved before.._

* * *

**Chapter Five: Honesty is the Best Policy**

Anna quietly opened the door to her room. Amy and the girls were already sound asleep on the bed. She dropped the coat and hat Kristoff had lent to her onto the coach and slipped silently into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She turned on the light and stared at herself in the mirror. Gingerly she brought her fingertips to her lips.

She'd almost _kissed_ him. But that wasn't even the part that freaked her out the most. She had really, _really_ wanted to.

Anna sighed, closing her eyes tightly. Were things going to be weird between them from now on? Was there any way she could fix this? Her gaze drifted to the little bobble head Santa sitting on the countertop. She cracked a small smile. She'd brought it up here for safe keeping before they'd went on their walk. She bit her lip as she thought.

Kristoff might not have been able to round up enough donations in time for the silent auction, but it was the kind of stuff she'd been doing for years. She could easily go around to a few local businesses and round up some quality items. Maybe that would be enough to help them get past tonight..

Anna bit her lip again, quietly making her way back out of the room and down to the lobby. The door to Kristoff's workroom was closed. She prayed he had gone to bed for the night as she turned the doorknob. Relief flooded her as she was greeted by darkness on the other side. She slipped quickly inside, hurrying to his desk to snag a stack of the silent auction fliers.

Her heart pounded as she fled his workroom and quickly, but quietly, made her way back to her room. She sighed in relief. It was a successful trip with no sign of Kristoff. Anna opened the door to her room and slipped off her shoe. She set down the stack of fliers and collapsing onto the couch. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day, she was going to need all the sleep she could get tonight.

* * *

Anna snuck past Kristoff in the lobby the next morning. It wasn't that hard of a feat. He had his hands full with all the extra people at the inn. She tightened her coat around her as she hurried to Beth's diner. She smiled as she approached the counter. The larger woman placed her hands on her hips.

"What can I do ya for, dear?" she asked. Anna leaned against the counter.

"I could use your help.."

* * *

Beth and Anna baked together for a few hours. They'd made several jars full of gingerbread men cookies. After they were finished, Anna placed her apron on the counter, exhausted. Beth smiled broadly at her, hugging her around the shoulders.

"I'll have you making baked Alaska in no time," she teased. Anna giggled. She sighed at the boxes they'd filled with the cookie jars.

"I'm looking forward to it. But in the mean time, I've got to get going. You're sure I can borrow the car?" she asked. Beth waved her off as she dumped the last few pans into the sink filled with soapy water.

"Absolutely. Go round up those donations. And if you're anything like your daddy, you won't take no for an answer!" Anna smiled, giving her one last hug before stacking the boxes and carrying them out to Beth's station wagon. It had the diner logo slapped onto both sides. She took a deep breath before climbing into the driver's seat.

"Let's do this," she breathed.

* * *

Anna had spent the majority of the day driving around to the bigger stores in the city. She's always been good with people, very sociable. So far, she'd been able to collect half a car full of donations. In exchange, she'd give the stores a jar of the freshly made gingerbread men cookies. Lucky for her, Beth had some bungee cords in her car to strap some loose items down. One outdoors shop in particular had offered a canoe as a donation she'd had to tie to the roof of the station wagon.

Currently she was at an electronics store trying to convince the manager to donate _something_ to the town's silent auction. So far, he'd been the first one to give her a hard time about it. But what he didn't know, was that she was very persuasive, not to mention persistent.

"Oh come on," she said as she followed him. "It's for charity! Don't you want to give back to those in need?" He scoffed.

"I donate to the Salvation Army every year," he said. She shook her head.

"But this is a _local_ charity. This is for your neighbors, your struggling friends," she said, quickly cutting in front of him. "And, every donation gets a jar of the best gingerbread men cookies you can find in the state!"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "I don't give away stuff for free." She waved him off.

"Don't think about it as giving away product for free. Think about it as putting food on a starving family's table or putting Christmas presents under a poor little kid's tree this year," she said, her eyes wide and hopeful. He sighed.

"Fine," he grumbled, making his way towards the back storage room. She cheered internally, waving her fists in celebration.

He returned shortly with a slightly older model Apple computer. She smiled brightly.

"We've been trying to get rid of these ever since they came out with the new system. You can take one. And I'm expecting those cookies to be real good," he said, his tone somewhat grumpy.

Anna smiled, handing him the jar as she took the box into her arms.

"You won't be disappointed! Thank you so much for your very generous donation! It's going to do a lot of good this year. Make sure you come as well, I left a flier on the main desk," she said, making her way towards the front of the store.

After hitting a few more stores, she eventually ran out of cookie jars, not to mention car space. She couldn't even close the trunk she'd gathered so many donations! Those extra bungee cords had _really_ come in handy, allowing her to tie the trunk down as she made the trip back to the inn without losing anything out the back.

Kristoff and Sven were on the porch, talking. About what, she couldn't tell. All she knew was that undeniable feeling of excitement in her gut. She couldn't wait to see the look on Kristoff's face when he saw all these donations she'd gathered for the auction. He'd be so happy..

And after last night, she was dying to see him happy.

* * *

Kristoff ran a hand through his hair as he leaned up against the wood railing. Sven whistled.

"So you tried to kiss an engaged woman, huh?" he asked after Kristoff had finished the story. "Even I wouldn't have pegged you to stoop that low." The blond groaned, wiping his face with his hands.

"I just got caught up in the moment! It was like, for a second, she wasn't engaged, and I wasn't some damaged divorcée. We were just two people with this insane connection. I couldn't let that go by, you know?" Sven nodded.

"Well if it helps, I'm rooting for you two," he said. "I like her. Way more than what's-her-face." Kristoff rolled his eyes.

"You know her name." Sven shrugged.

"Yeah, but from the moment I met her, I wish I hadn't. What's-her-name is a better fit, I feel." Kristoff chuckled. He stuffed his hands into his pockets as he sighed.

Sven watched him curiously. "You really like her, don't you?" Kristoff kicked at some snow on the porch with his boot.

"I think I really do, yeah," he said. "Just my luck that's she's already taken." Sven shrugged.

"Engaged ain't married in my book." Kristoff looked inside the window at all the people that were still there. Their power was still out, meaning they'd probably be staying for another night. Sven followed his gaze and nodded.

"Power should be back on tomorrow. Thanks for taking them in," he said. Kristoff shrugged.

"They needed some place to go." Sven nodded.

"But you volunteered. You're a good man, Kris," he said.

Kristoff smirked. "Well that's mighty kind of you to say, Sheriff." Sven rolled his eyes.

"Alright, knock it off before I arrest you." Kristoff laughed as a car pulled up to the front of the inn. He turned around to see his mother's car. He reeled back in surprise to see it covered in different expensive items. Featuring a canoe and a sled tied to the top.

Anna popped out from the driver's seat, smiling brightly. Kristoff furrowed his brows, a slight smile on his face as he pointed to the car.

"What's all this?" he asked, pushing away from the wooden banister. She giggled happily at his expression.

"Donations! For the silent auction." He furrowed his eyebrows even harder.

"From who?"

She shrugged. "Local businesses around. I passed out a few of your fliers. They were eager to help!" Kristoff's small smile began to widen into a much larger one.

"You did this?" he asked, his tone shocked and overjoyed at the same time. She nodded, twisting her fingers in her hand as she came closer to the two men on the porch.

"Yeah, I did. I just figured the town needed some quality items to raise enough money. I wanted to help. Do you like them?" He scoffed, shaking his head.

"Like it? Are you kidding? This is amazing!" he exclaimed. She broke out into a large smile at his words.

"I think she deserves a proper 'thank you'," Sven encouraged, a small smirk on his lips.

Kristoff stared into her big, blue eyes. He couldn't stand not touching her for a second longer. In one sweep, she was in his embrace. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, burying his nose into her shoulder.

She remained frozen for a moment in shock, but quickly melted into his embrace, wrapping her own arms around his neck. She closed her eyes as she breathed him in. Being in his arms felt better than anything she'd ever felt before.

"Thank you," he whispered. She smiled against his chest as he continued to hold her tightly. They remained there, unmoving. The sound of an approaching car unregistering to both of them.

"Well this sure is a friendly town," Hans' voice said from behind her. Anna's eyes snapped open. The two pulled apart fairly quickly. She turned to look at her fiancé.

"Hans?" she asked. "What are you doing here?" She walked down the steps towards his car where he was standing. He glared up at Kristoff as she made her way over.

After she was near him, he wrapped his arms around her waste, pulled her close, and slapped a wet kiss onto her lips. Kristoff gritted his teeth, looking away from the scene in front of him.

"I came to get you out of here," he said. Anna tilted her head at him in confusion.

"I thought the main roads were closed from the storm?" she asked. He shook his head.

"They opened them back up this morning." Anna nodded, she motioned towards the men on the porch.

"Uh, well, Hans this is Kristoff Bjorgman. He's the manager here at the inn," she said, leading Hans up the porch steps. The two men shook hand rigidly.

"Kristoff, this is my fiancé, Hans Westergard." Kristoff forced a stiff smile.

"Nice to meet you," he said. Hans nodded, uninterested.

"Yeah, you too." Sven coughed awkwardly, sticking out his own hand.

"I'm Sven Deerland, the Sheriff around these parts." Hans nodded. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to call."

Hans wrapped an arm around Anna's waste, pulling her close to his chest roughly. She stumbled a bit towards him. Kristoff clenched his jaw.

"Well thank you, Sheriff, but," he said, switching his gaze to Kristoff. "I'm pretty good at taking care of things on my own." Anna grimaced. Hans had a tendency to get possessive of her. It was something she really didn't like, especially right here on this porch.

Kristoff bit back a scoff. Anna looked up at Hans quickly.

"Uh, come on, honey. This inn is _beautiful_, you have to see it," she said, pulling him inside. Hans nodded, following her closely.

"Nice to meet you both," Hans said again, slapping a hand hard on Kristoff's shoulder as he passed, a smirk on his stupid lips. Kristoff nearly punched him right in his perfect teeth.

Sven sighed. "Seems like a nice guy." Kristoff scoffed. He shook his head as he stared off into the snowy surroundings. Sven patted his shoulder sympathetically.

* * *

Anna sighed as she pulled Hans inside the inn.

"You're really keen on making a great first impression, aren't you? Did you have to be so rude?" she asked as she pulled him into a secluded area. He rolled his eyes.

"I pull up to find some guy with his arms around my fiancée. Excuse me for not having a warmer welcoming."

"He was thanking me! I bailed him out by collecting all those donations for the silent auction tomorrow night." He rolled his eyes.

"You were just supposed to deliver those letters! Now you're here acting like the Mother Teresa of North Mountain? Can we just pack up your stuff and get out of here?" he asked, clearly disinterested in continuing the conversation.

She crossed her arms in front of her. "Uncle Olaf still isn't back yet." He groaned.

"Anna, come on. Our flight to Maui leaves in 24 hours. Have you even thought about what this has been doing to _me_?! Or have you just been thinking about yourself?" Anger flared through his eyes. A twinge of guilt shot through Anna's stomach. She twisted her fingers nervously.

"Okay, I'm sorry. Look, if he's not back by tomorrow, I'll leave the letters at the front desk for him and we can go. Okay?" she asked, her tone softer. This seemed to do the trick. The fire in his eyes seemed to smolder as his shoulders relaxed.

"Fine, _one_ night," he said. She smiled a bit at him.

"Thank you," she said gratefully. "Now I have to go drop off Beth's car to her and all the silent auction gifts off at the event space.."

Hans raised an eyebrow at her. Was she starting to get attached to this town? Learning everyone's names and participating in their events?

"I'm sure you're tired from the long drive. You can go take a nap in my room if you'd like," she finished. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose before nodding. She softly handed him the keys.

"Oh and remember, no one is supposed to know who I am. So while I'm here, I'm just plain Anna Ranford, okay?" Hans lifted an eyebrow at her.

"Anna Ranford?" he asked, nearly in disgust. She sighed in frustration.

"Just go with it, please," she begged before giving him a peck on the cheek and leaving towards the front door. Kristoff and Sven were already gone, along with Kristoff's truck. She frowned a bit. She'd wanted to apologize for the way Hans had acted.

It was a small town, she was sure she'd see him soon enough.

* * *

Hans opened the door to Anna's room, his body aching from being stuffed in the uncomfortable sports car. Sure it wasn't the comfiest thing to drive for long hours, but he couldn't be caught dead in anything less expensive.

His eyebrows furrowed at the sight in front of him. Amy was playing loud Christmas music, bouncing the baby on her knee as her older daughter danced around, putting on a mini Christmas performance. The mother laughed as she watched.

Hans rolled his eyes, exiting the room and closing the door behind him. This was going to be a _long_ day.

* * *

Anna had dropped by Beth's diner, but was told that Beth was at the event space where they were holding the Dinner with Santa instead.

As she walked in, she smiled as the smell of peppermint hot chocolate filled her nose. Volunteers were helping unload the presents from Beth's car. She just needed to find her and return the keys.

"Hey!" a voice called out from behind her. She turned around to see Kristoff. An uncontrollable smile slipped onto her lips as she watched him approach.

"Hi," she said, smiling. "I came to give Beth back her keys, but I'm actually really glad to run into you. I wanted to apologize for Hans. He's not usually...well, he is usually like that, but not so blatant about it.."

Kristoff chuckled. "It's okay. I actually wanted to apologize to you. You know, for, uh, last night. In the woods." Anna blushed slightly.

"I should have never tried to kiss you," he said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "You've been nothing but upfront and honest with me since you got here. I knew you had a fiancé, and that was wrong of me. I'm not that type of guy."

A pang stabbed at Anna's heart. _You've been nothing but upfront and honest with me since you got here_. But she wasn't being _completely_ honest. Not about who she really was, at least. Would that be enough to make him hate her? She really hoped not. She _adored_ his friendship.

"I don't know, I guess I've been closed off for so many years, I've kind of forgotten what it's like to live. But you came a long and reminded me of that. I guess I stopped trusting people, but then at some point, I started to again. And it felt really nice," he said, a soft smile dancing on his lips.

"I let me feelings get the best of me, and I'm sorry. Friends?" he asked, sticking out his hand. She nodded, shaking it with her own slowly.

Anna's heart broke after hearing his words. She couldn't keep this from him anymore. If she did, she just might break. She swallowed hard, before opening her mouth.

"Kristoff, listen, there's something I need to tell you..," she started. Kristoff tilted his head to the side slightly. A loud crash sounded behind them.

The men setting up Santa's workshop on the stage had dropped some of the scenery they were attempting to nail together.

"Hey, Kris!" one of them called out. "A little help here?" He grimaced.

"I should really go..," he said slowly, his voice dripping with regret. She nodded. Maybe it just wasn't in the stars..

"We'll talk later?" he asked. She nodded once more, waving him off.

"Sure. Go help before they break something." He chuckled, turning on his heels and jogging off towards the stage. She sighed as she watched him.

Her moment for the truth was going,...going,...gone..

* * *

**This one is a shorter one than the previous two chapters. But I hope you enjoyed it just the same! Hans coming back into the story?! Who expected that?!**

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**-TheCleanWriter**


	6. Chapter 6

**(DISCLAIMER) Is this even a surprise anymore? #unowned**

**ON WITH THE READING!**

* * *

**Previously on _Christmas Inn-heritance:_**

_"I should really go..," he said slowly, his voice dripping with regret. She nodded. Maybe it just wasn't in the stars.._

_"We'll talk later?" he asked. She nodded once more, waving him off._

_"Sure. Go help before they break something." He chuckled, turning on his heels and jogging off towards the stage. She sighed as she watched him._

_Her moment for the truth was going,...going,...gone.._

* * *

**Chapter Six: An Ode to Drama**

Later that evening, Anna had her hands full with the inn. Kristoff was still helping set up for the Dinner with Santa, leaving Anna and Beth to man the inn by themselves. There were still some leftover gingerbread men cookies that Anna had made from the day before.

Hans held his phone up high and frowned at it. There was no way he was going to be able to conduct any business with the cell service they had here. Anna picked up the tray of cookies and made her way over to him.

"Want one?" she asked hopefully, excited to see the look on his face when he tried her first batch of homemade cookies. He raised an eyebrow at her and scoffed.

"You're kidding, right?" She frowned.

"No...I made them myself." He furrowed his eyebrows at her, dropping his hands down to his sides.

"You're starting to worry me," he said. "This isn't you. You're the party heiress. Not Miss Homemaker." Anna glared at him as she set down the tray. She grabbed his arm and led him towards a more secluded corner.

"Can you quit it with the whole 'party heiress' thing? That's not who I am here. That's not even who I am anymore. Being here has changed me, and I like who I've become. Can you please drop it?" she asked.

"What's with the whole waitress bit?" he asked. She sighed.

"I ran out of money, so I've been helping out around here in exchange for a room." He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Why didn't you just call Elsa? Or me?" She shook her head in frustration.

"Because I said I would do this on my own, and I meant it. They treat me like I'm a normal, regular person around here, and I _like_ it," she said sincerely.

Across the room, Beth observed the two, her hand resting on her hip. She watched as Anna's face slowly contorted to that of more and more frustration. She noticed how stiff Anna was around Hans, the man she was supposedly going to marry. She wasn't like that around Kristoff. Around Kristoff, she looked as relaxed as a baby duck.

She couldn't hear a word the two were discussing, but by the looks of it, it wasn't a good conversation. Though most of what she'd observed of the time those two spent together didn't seem particularly pleasant.

Hans crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"You can play lovey dovey homemaker with the locals all you want, but you're never going to be one of them. This is never going to change who you really are, and we both know it. I'm gonna go get a drink," he said harshly, brushing roughly past her on his way towards the front door.

Anna groaned inwardly. Why was he such a child? Why couldn't he accept that she was finally starting to feel _happy_?

Beth slowly approached, smiling softly at the redhead. Anna forced a smile back.

"Sorry you had to see that," she said quietly. Beth waved it off.

"Don't worry about it, dear. This season can be stressful for a lot of people." Anna laughed a bit, playing with the hem of her shirt.

"Every season is stressful for Hans," she mumbled unintentionally. Beth placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Did you want to talk about it?" she asked. Anna shrugged, blinking back the hot tears threatening to spill.

"Um, no. I think I'm okay. I was going to up to my room for a bit. Do you think you could handle the fort down here?" Beth nodded, smiling sweetly at the young girl.

"I'll be fine. Things have died down. Take all the time you need." Anna hugged her briefly before making her way upstairs.

* * *

Finally alone in her room, Anna collapsed onto one of the chairs. Her feet were exhausted. She'd been running around all day. Her gaze drifted to the wood box nearby, the one holding the letters she was tasked to give to Olaf.

She bit her lip before reaching for it. With a shaky breath, she opened it. Tears immediately threatened to spill as she brushed her fingers across her father's familiar handwriting. It was impossible to miss two people so much.

She blinked them away, opening up the letter with the oldest date.

_December 1981,_

_Dear Olaf, _

_We did it! For a couple of guys who aren't much good at showing our feelings, we started a company that allows other people to express their own. Here's to a great first year and the friendship that made it happen!_

_-Arthur_

_December 1982,_

_Dear Arthur, _

_You were right about starting our first retail store in Middlebury, but you've got to admit, I was the one who picked Bill Parcells to be head coach. Go Giants!_

_-Olaf_

Anna giggled at that last letter. Goofy Uncle Olaf, just as she remembered him.

_December 1993,_

_Dear Olaf, _

_The company is growing, and so is our little girls. Elsa is so serious and focused about school. Anna's taking gymnastics, and is determined as always at that too, but she's still as wild and free as ever. I can already see the strong women they're starting to become._

_-Arthur_

Anna's eyes brimmed with tears at her father's words. Her fingers brushed at the pictures he'd tucked into the folds of the letter of her and Elsa. He'd loved them so much.

_December 1994,_

_Dear Arthur,_

_It's another record year for us! You know, maybe it's time we started looking into this Internet sales thing. It might really take off._

_-Olaf_

Anna laughed once again. Oh, if only they knew how much it would take off indeed. After a few more letters throughout the years, one in particular caught her by surprise. The handwriting was Elsa's. Anna's stomach fell. She knew exactly what that meant.

_Dear Uncle Olaf,_

_With my parents gone, I'm supposed to run the company. And I'm not really sure how to do it. I miss them so much, it hurts, and I know Anna does too. I wish I knew what to do to help her. I'm so sorry for your loss as well. I'm worried I'm not strong enough for all of this...for Anna. But I couldn't let my father's favorite tradition down. So even though this season may seem a little gloomier for all of us right now, Merry Christmas. We love you, always._

_-Elsa_

Anna's fingers trembled over the next letter, hot tears already threatening to spill over.

_Dear Elsa,_

_You are such a brave young women. And your sister is so strong too. You two beautiful girls don't deserve the cards life has dealt you. My advice for the company, you're your father's daughter. I left the company in marvelous hands with him, and I trust you just the same. I believe you will run it the way he did. And for your sister, don't lose each other in your grief. Know that I am always here for both of you sweet girls. Uncle Olaf's is always a place for warm hugs._

_-Olaf_

Tears streaked down Anna's cheeks as she read. Elsa had taken Olaf's first advice, but not so much his second. They'd both lost themselves in their grief. No doubt the rest of these letters were filled with Elsa's frustrations on her party lifestyle choices.

A knock sounded at her door. She quickly wiped at her tears.

"Come in!" she called, her voice watery. Amy's oldest daughter came bouncing into the room.

"We're out of hot chocolate downstairs!" she said. Anna nodded, fighting back more tears threatening to fall.

"Okay, I'll be right down." She sniffled, giving away her cover. The little girl tilted her head at the redhead.

"Are you okay?" she asked. Anna smiled a bit at her. What a big heart for such a little girl.

"Yeah, I'm okay," she promised. The little girl stared at her for a minute before retrieving the snowman from the bed and promptly placing him in Anna's arms.

"He likes warm hugs. Warm hugs always makes everyone feel better," she said softly. Anna's heart soared. She squeezed the snowman tightly.

"Thank you," she whispered. The little girl smiled brightly before running back out of the room. Anna sat there for a moment, squeezing the stuffed snowman.

She wiped away the rest of her tears and blinked hard a few times. This town was a lot more amazing than she had ever given it any credit for.

* * *

Kristoff rolled his shoulders, exhausted from all the work he'd done setting up for the Dinner with Santa. He was one of the most experienced with tools in the whole town, so whenever stuff like this came up, he was always one of the first called.

He didn't mind helping out. Usually it was nice to get some time away from the hustle and bustle of the inn once and awhile. He wasn't sure why he'd chosen such a customer service career when he wasn't such a big fan of people.

But this season was different. _All_ he wanted to do was spend time at the inn. Especially with the brand new help around..

He gritted his teeth as he pushed he door to the town pub open. She was _engaged_. He had to stop thinking about her like that.

As if by some sick, cruel twist of fate there to remind him of how much life truly hates him, a familiar face struck out to him at the bar. Hans. Of course. He couldn't even get a drink in peace. The very reason he'd come to the pub to drown his sorrows was here at the very pub!

He rolled his eyes, doing his best to ignore Richie Rich as he sat down at one of the bar stools. He wasn't planning on being here long, so it was no use taking up a whole booth for just himself.

Hans looked over as the burly blond sat down and chuckled.

"Well look at that, it's the innkeeper." Kristoff clenched his fists.

"It's the fiancé," he spat back. He hardly tried to hide the venom in his voice. He already hated the way he'd talked to Anna over the phone. Meeting him in person didn't help.

Hans sipped at his martini as Kristoff ordered himself a scotch.

"Enjoying our little town?" the blond asked, mostly sarcastically. Hans smirked.

"Oh, yes. I'm especially looking forward to spending the night on a _cot_ in the _hallway_." The remark lifted Kristoff's spirits a bit. At least he wouldn't be alone in a room with Anna tonight, even if it would only be for tonight.

"So why aren't you out enjoying all the Christmas hoopla?" Hans asked bitterly. He'd never particularly enjoyed Christmas.

Kristoff shrugged. "Sometimes you just need a break. Even from Christmas." His mind trailed back to Anna. If he was being honest, he wouldn't have come here if he knew Hans was here and Anna was alone at the inn. Hindsight 20/20.

Hans raised his glass. "I'll drink to that." After taking a sip, he set his drink back down.

"The Westergards were never ones for tradition. More of the buy-the-newest-shiny-thing-on-the-market kind of crowed. But I didn't mind it. I'm sure Anna won't either," he continued. Kristoff scoffed.

"Right," he mumbled in disbelief. No way would Anna ever be okay with no Christmas traditions. Not the Anna he knew. He took a few swallows of his scotch. Hans chuckled.

"I've got to give you some credit though," he said. "Never would I ever thought I would have seen _Anna Randelle_ making Christmas cookies." Kristoff swirled his drink.

"I thought she was a baker?" Hans nearly choked on his drink.

"A baker?! You're kidding," he said, laughter in his voice. Realization finally hit Kristoff as he sat up straighter, turning to face Hans.

"Wait, Anna _Randelle_? As in _Arthur_ and _Irene_ Randelle?" Hans pinched the bridge of his nose, realizing the mistake he'd just made.

"As in _'Home and Heart Gifts'_ Randelle?!" Kristoff continued, his eyes wide in disbelief. So many dots began to connect.

Hans groaned. "Listen, do me a favor and forget I said anything, alright?" Kristoff scoffed, nodding wordlessly. He took a few bills from his wallet and let them fall to the bar.

He sluffed his coat back onto his shoulders and strolled towards the door. He needed some air. Hans sighed, turning his attention back to his drink.

"Merry Christmas," he muttered.

* * *

By the time Kristoff had finally found his way back to the inn, it was already way past dark. Most everyone was in bed, including Anna. But Kristoff had sort of hoped that would be the case right about now.

The bomb Hans had dropped on him was enough for one night.

He made his way towards his work room and closed the door. Quietly, he pulled out his laptop, linked up to the slow WiFi and punched on the keys.

'Anna Randelle'

Immediately magazine and gossip site articles flooded his search engine, each with a similar phrase. Party heiress...party heiress...party heiress...

Kristoff shook his head, reading the different articles written on the girl he'd grown to become so fond of. So much for wanting to settle down with someone who led a quiet life.

One particular clip caught his eye. The most recent upload. He clicked it, and watched as a loop played of Anna falling butt first into a Christmas tree, party dress and all. He scoffed, running a hand through his hair.

He sat back in his seat and sighed. "Duped again."

* * *

As promised by Sven, the power on the East side of town was restored and everyone who'd been crashing at the inn was safe to return home. Anna smiled at Amy as they pulled away from a tight hug.

"Thank you so much for all you've done for us. I don't know what we would've done without you," Amy said, her eyes watery. Anna squeezed her arm.

"It was my pleasure. I loved having you three as roommates, even if just for a few days," she said.

"Mommy, we have to go! Santa's coming _tonight_!" her daughter exclaimed, tugging at her sleeve. Amy laughed, nodding at the little girl.

"Don't worry, we're on our way. He won't miss us." Anna knelt down to be eye level with her.

"I think I'm going to miss you most of all," she said. The little girl wrapped her arms tightly around Anna, eliciting a broad smile from the redhead. Kristoff did his best not to watch the interaction. After what he'd discovered, he shouldn't care anymore. And he didn't. Not a bit.

Amy herded her little family out the front door as Hans came down the stairs with Anna's bags.

"I'll go load these in the car," he said. He turned to throw a glare at Kristoff. "If my _back_ doesn't give out first." Anna sighed as he turned back to face her.

"Think they'll have better bellhops in Maui?" he asked, his volume still loud enough for Kristoff to hear. The blond rolled his eyes. Hans had been rushing Anna about leaving all morning.

With Olaf still M.I.A., she had to keep her promise to Hans. They would leave for the airport, and she would leave the letters at the front desk. He walked out the door, leaving Anna and Kristoff alone. The lobby hadn't been this empty in days.

She slowly approached the front desk. He hadn't meet her gaze all morning, and she was worried he was upset because of Hans.

"On your way?" he asked, his tone emotionless and cold. She furrowed her eyebrows at it. That was definitely unlike him.

"Uh, yeah. I guess," she said gingerly. "Did you hear from Olaf? A phone call? Anything?" He still kept his eyes down as he busied himself with work.

"Sorry, nothin'." She sighed, pulling the wood box from her bag. Kristoff's eyes finally lifted, staring at the box in her hands.

"Well, if you could just give this to him when he comes back..?" she asked. He blinked.

"Sorry, can't do that." She knitted her eyebrows together in confusion.

"I'm sorry, what? Why not?" He finally lifted his gaze to meet hers, ignore the stabbing pain in his gut as he stared into her big, blue eyes.

He jutted his thumb back to the sign behind him. "Management will not be held responsible for valuables." It was a direct quote.

"And these letters? To this town, they're pretty dang valuable," he continued. "If you can't take them, maybe you should have your sister drop them off. I'm sure _Elsa Randelle_ wouldn't mind."

Anna swallowed hard at the sound of her sister's name. Her mouth suddenly felt very dry.

"You know..," she started. He scoffed.

"We may not have cell service here, but we do have Internet," he said, his tone harsh. "Looks like that tree put up quite the fight." She reeled back from that one. This was a Kristoff she didn't even recognize. He was passed closed off. He wasn't even this cold the first moment they'd met.

"Excuse me?" she finally managed. Kristoff leaned his palms against the counter.

"I guess we should be honored to have received a visit from the _party heiress_ herself here at our lowly inn. I'll make sure Gerda makes up a banner." Anna's bit back tears, determined to stand her ground.

"That is _not_ who I am anymore. And even if it were, I wouldn't expect you to be the person who would listen to the one-sided stories those tabloids crap out!" she nearly yelled. Kristoff took a step back. He watched as her beautiful blue eyes threatened to pour with tears.

"You don't know what I've been through, or the changes I've made. And you have no idea the story behind _this_ visit to North Mountain either! You've just done what the rest of the world always has and judged me without knowing the whole truth. But I would expect that from you. You're too closed up in your own world to notice," she said spitefully, grabbing the box from off the counter and basically running towards the lobby doors.

Kristoff stood there, dumbfounded. He hadn't expected that kind of a reaction from her. Wasn't she the one in the wrong for lying to him? For keeping him in the dark about who she really was?

He ran a hand through his hair. He had come off pretty harsh. And she _had_ made some pretty good points about him judging before knowing the whole story...

He shook it off, rolling his shoulders back and focusing on his work. He was never going to see that annoying, frustrating, beautiful, funny, exhilarating redhead ever again. So what should it matter what he thought?

* * *

**Wowee. That was an intense ending. Please don't hate Kristoff. This story is not over yet and I tried to make Hans more hateable than hurt Kristoff was going to be in this fight scene. So have patience!**

**Continue on to the LAST CHAPTER!**

**Please still be nice in the reviews. Happy endings are still around the corner!**

**-TheCleanWriter**


	7. Chapter 7

**You made it! The LAST CHAPTER! I hope you've liked this story as much as I have liked writing it. **

**(DISCLAIMER) Nothing new. I don't own anything.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Previously on _Christmas Inn-heritance_****_:_**

_Kristoff stood there, dumbfounded. He hadn't expected that kind of a reaction from her. Wasn't she the one in the wrong for lying to him? For keeping him in the dark about who she really was?_

_He ran a hand through his hair. He had come off pretty harsh. And she _had_ made some pretty good points about him judging before knowing the whole story..._

_He shook it off, rolling his shoulders back and focusing on his work. He was never going to see that annoying, frustrating, beautiful, funny, exhilarating redhead ever again. So what should it matter what he thought?_

* * *

**Chapter Seven: The End**

Anna slammed the door behind her, wiping at her eyes as she came down the porch steps. Beth had just pulled up to the inn and was climbing out of the car. She furrowed her eyebrows when she saw the redhead.

"Anna! You're leaving already? But it's Christmas Eve..," she stopped as she saw her red nose and teary eyes. "Oh sweetie, what's wrong?" She waved it off.

"Um, nothing. I'm okay. Hans and I, uh, we have to get back to the city today," she said. Beth frowned.

"That's too bad. I was hoping you would be able to come to the Dinner with Santa. You collected all those wonderful items for auction. And I know Krissy...he was real excited to have you there," she said softly, glancing at Hans in the car. He looked impatiently at his watch.

Anna snorted. "Not so much anymore. But thank you...for everything." She pulled the larger woman into a tight hug. Anna started to walk towards the car before Beth quickly grabbed her arm.

"Oh, I forgot something!" she exclaimed. She reached into the box in her arms and pulled out a pair of oven mitts with Anna's initials neatly stitched at the bottom.

"I figured you didn't have a pair of your own, but now that you're a baking wiz, you're gonna need one," she finished. Anna smiled widely, hugging them to her chest.

"Beth..," she breathed. "Thank you, I love them. And, thank you for keeping my secret too." Beth smiled.

"You're welcome. Merry Christmas. Don't be a stranger." Anna nodded. A long, loud honk sounded from Han's car. Anna grimaced at the noise, sending an apologetic look towards Beth.

"Okay, I should go." She gave her one last hug before going to climb into the passenger seat of the car. Beth waved from the porch, letting out a heavy sigh.

She watched as their car pulled out from the driveway and onto the snowy road. Inside, the inn was quiet. Usually Kristoff was working the front desk or reading by the fire. He loved quiet time to himself in the lobby when it was this dead.

The sound of 'Silent Night' pierced her ears as she walked deeper into the lobby. She turned her head towards the source: her son's workroom. She sighed, setting the box down and making her way towards it.

She slowly opened the door and approached Kristoff's work desk. He was leaning back in his chair, his eyes staring blankly into nowhere. Beth leaned against the tall, metal shelving unit and sighed.

Kristoff quickly sat up. He hadn't realized she'd come in. She put her hands on her hips and motioned her head towards the radio.

"What's with the song? You hate this song." He shrugged, thumbing at the lip of his desk.

"It seemed fitting," he mumbled. Beth furrowed her eyebrows, walking closer to his desk.

"Alright, what in the world happened? I'm gone for how long and you two go from puppy eyes to big mopes?" she asked, exasperated.

Kristoff sighed. "She's gone now, so it doesn't matter." Beth raised an eyebrow at him.

"Obviously it does matter or you wouldn't be sitting here making yourself miserable. Now you tell your mama what happened," she said firmly. He groaned, wiping his face with his hands.

"She's not who she said she was. Her _real_ name is Anna Randelle. As in 'Home & Heart Gifts' Randelle," he grumbled. She shook her head a bit, expecting him to go on.

"And?" Now it was Kristoff's turn to be confused.

"What do you mean? She was lying about who she was!" Beth rolled her eyes.

"So she's a rich heiress, not a _terrorist_. Besides, I've known all this time and it never made a difference to me!" she exclaimed. Kristoff stood in surprise.

"You knew this whole time?! And you didn't think to mention it?!"

She shrugged. "It wasn't my secret to tell. And by the sounds of it, it wasn't hers either." He furrowed his eyebrows once more.

"What do you mean?" he asked, his tone quieter.

"After I'd figured it out, she told me part of the deal with her sister was that no one was allowed to know who she really was. No one. She didn't want her receiving any special treatment." Kristoff swallowed hard.

"Well, she should have told me. After everything that happened between us, Anna and I were different. She could have trusted me," he said, frustrated. Beth sighed. She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"And I'm sure it ate her up inside every single day. She's a sweet girl, Krissy. No matter how mad you may be right now, you can't deny that." A sharp pang of guilt racked through him at the sound of his adopted mother's words.

He remembered the awful things he'd said to her before she left. He had just been so mad! And at the time, he thought she deserved every bit of his anger. But his mom was right, who Anna was inside was a kind, caring person who didn't deserve to be treated like that.

He shrugged. "Well she's gone now, so what good does that do?" Beth crossed her arms in front of her, fighting the urge to smack her son upside his big head.

"Kristoff Bjorgman, you really are _quite_ the fixer upper."

* * *

Anna pawed through the letters in the wood box as Hans drove down the snowy road. Her brows furrowed in frustration as she searched. Finally, she gave up, letting out an exasperated sigh.

"I can't find it! It's not in here!" she exclaimed. Hans perked an eyebrow at her.

"What isn't?" he asked, though by the sound of his tone, he didn't sound all that interested.

"This year's letter. I was going to send it to Olaf once he got back, but it's not in here!" Fear suddenly struck her as a thought crossed her mind. She remembered digging through the letters in her room at the inn. Could it have fallen out..?

"It has to be back at the inn," she groaned. "We have to go get it." Hans nearly flipped his lid.

"Are you crazy?! We just _left_! We'll miss our flight! Just forget about it, it's not that important anyway. It's just some stupid letter," he yelled angrily. Usually this kind of outburst from Hans would make Anna give in. She was tired of dealing with his tantrums, and it was just easier to give him what he wanted.

But something inside her had _really_ changed this trip. She wasn't the same Anna she was before. She wasn't going to be pushed around by him any longer. Her fists slowly curled tightly.

"It isn't 'some stupid letter'!" she yelled. Hans flinched at her volume. She never had yelled at him before. "This is my family _tradition_. And it's important to me!"

Hans rolled his eyes. "You know, I've been pretty patient with you, but enough is enough. I'm sick of your family's stupid cutesy traditions. Just get over it! Can we just get on with our vacation?!"

Anna stared at him in shock. This whole time was him being _patient_? A soft beeping sounded from the dashboard, eliciting a loud groan from Hans.

"Great," he muttered. "Now we need gas." Anna stared straight ahead as they drove on, her expression hard as stone. What kind of life was she setting up for herself?

They'd eventually stumbled upon a gas station right outside the city limits. Anna looked up. As if some sign by fate, there stood the giant steel bus, gassing up on its way up to North Mountain. Hans sighed.

"Look, if your little _boyfriend_ back there at the inn finds the letter, he'll just send it to your office, right? He knows how important those are to your family, to the company," he started. He laughed a bit.

"I mean, that whole poor, pathetic town is practically built around the legend of 'Home & Heart Gifts'," he finished. Anna raised a suspicious eyebrow at him.

"What makes you think he knows who my family is?" she asked. Hans hesitated for a moment, turning his gaze away from her. Anna shifted in her seat, anger bubbling up within her.

"How did he know who I am?" she asked again.

He waved her off. "So maybe I let it slip out last night. What's the big deal?" She gaped at him. She'd asked him for _one_ thing! One! To keep her secret for the one day that he was there, and he couldn't even do that for her!

"Why would you do that?!" He rolled his eyes.

"It was an accident! He was going to find out sooner or later anyway," he said, brushing her off. She stared out the front window in disbelief.

Hans scoffed. "Who cares what those people think?" She turned to face him again, her face contorted with hurt and anger.

"I care!" she yelled. "Me! The whole reason I was sent to North Mountain was to learn from them! And do you know what I learned? I _love_ that town. I love the people in that town, and I love the person they've changed me to be!" He scoffed again, making Anna feel as small as the snowflakes outside her window.

"Look, babe, you don't belong there. You know that." Now it was Anna's turn to scoff. With ease, she slipped her engagement ring off her finger.

"No, Hans. I don't belong with _you_." She dropped the ring into his hands and climbed out of the car. She opened the trunk and dragged her bag out, hauling it towards the big, steel bus.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Hans called out from behind her. "Where are you going?" She motioned her hands towards the neon words scrolling across the side of the bus.

"Back to North Mountain!" she yelled back. He shook his head, throwing his hands up in the air.

"But what about Maui?!" he whined. Anna rolled her eyes.

"You should go by yourself," she yelled back. "I'm sure you'd enjoy the company." With that, she climbed onto the bus.

* * *

Kristoff stood off to himself away from the crowd at the Dinner with Santa. People were dancing to the music, Santa was chatting with the smaller children and taking pictures. Everyone else was fawning over the auction items Anna had graciously collected. His heart broke as he looked at them.

He forced himself to look away and focus on the performers on stage. He had to learn to forget about her, just like had done years before.

He took another swig of his drink, turning towards the door. It pushed open, revealing a certain fiery redhead behind it. Kristoff nearly spit. He coughed for a second, desperate to clear his windpipe.

The coughing had drawn Anna's attention, her eyes falling on the blushing brute. She slowly made her way over to him. He set his drink down on a nearby table.

"I thought you'd be long gone," he mumbled. She shrugged.

"Things change." He kept his eyes low, afraid to meet her own. He couldn't resist her gorgeous puppy eyes.

"But I do have to ask..," she continued. "I think I left behind this year's letter at the inn. Have you seen it?" She no longer had a key to her room anymore so it wasn't like she could just waltz in there and search for it.

He sighed. "No, I haven't. Sorry." She groaned. What was she supposed to do now? She doubted he would help her look.

"Won't Hans mind that you're back here?" he asked, his voice dripping with disdain. She shrugged.

"Don't know. And I don't really care," she said honestly. She placed her hands on the tall table standing between them. Kristoff's gaze shifted to her bare ring finger. He looked up at her in surprise.

"That's a pretty bold move..," he said simply. Honestly, those were the only words he could muster. There were so many emotions swimming within him right at this moment. Regret, sadness, anger, happiness, the strong desire to wrap her in his arms and kiss her senseless. It was hard to figure out which branch to follow.

She shrugged. "It took me long enough, but I finally wised up. Hans was never right for me. I guess sometimes bold moves are worth making. Worth the risk." She couldn't help but stare at him, her eyes refusing to slip away. Kristoff swallowed hard.

That warm feeling he'd begun to suppress started to rise up in his stomach again. His palms started to sweat and his breathing began to stagger.

"What do you want me to say, Anna?" he asked. He sounded exhausted. She frowned a bit. He'd already been so hurt before, and right as he was opening up again, all this happened. Just his luck that she would be the one to come along and break his heart.

Her eyes shifted to what stood on the auction table behind him. His wood carvings. Her eyes lit up as she eyed them.

"You brought them," she breathed. "And you added lights! That's a fantastic idea." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. Anna watched him for a minute. She had really gotten to him, hadn't she?

This whole time she had been so focused on how much she had changed, she failed to see how much Kristoff had too. All because of _her_. And if she was being honest, she was the new and improved way she was because of _him_ too.

"Look," she said, coming around the side of the table to stand in front of him. He hadn't realized how much shorter she was than him. "When I first came to North Mountain, I _really_ didn't want to be here. But then I met you. _You_ were the one that changed all that."

Kristoff watched her, his eyes staring deep into hers. He tried as hard as he could to look away, but he couldn't. _Something_ was pulling him towards her, like a magnet.

"Ever since I lost my parents, I've been fighting to shut down that part that missed them. And I made a lot of mistakes in order to do it. But after meeting everyone in this town, after meeting you, it made me realize, maybe there are some things you can't get over...but it's easier to do when you're not alone," she finished.

Kristoff's eyes briefly dropped to her lips. He had been alone for so long. He didn't want to feel that way any more. Someone brushed passed him, knocking him out of his train of thought.

He cleared his throat.

"You were right...before. I shouldn't have judged you so harshly without knowing everything about you. I'm sorry," he said sincerely. Anna smiled a bit at him, making his knees weak. He needed to pull it together.

"But we're still trying to run an auction here, and I'm in charge of bids. So if you're not planning on bidding on anything..," he trailed off. She smiled as a certain bobble head caught her eye. She quickly retrieved it, holding it close to her chest.

"What is this guy going for?" she asked, her eyes wide and innocent. Kristoff couldn't help but laugh.

"A gift expert once told me that it could go for at _least_ a million dollars," he teased. She shrugged.

"Sold." Kristoff laughed again, shaking his head. She smiled wider. She loved his laugh.

"So, a gift expert, huh?" she asked. He shrugged.

"Can I get everyone's attention, please?" a loud voice asked over the speakers. Anna and Kristoff both looked towards the stage where Santa was standing at the microphone. He smiled widely at the large crowd in attendance.

"Thank you everyone for being here tonight," he continued. "And thank you to everyone who has so far donated to our wonderful charity auction. You've all made this Christmas in North Mountain so special for so many people."

The crowd clapped. Anna tilted her head. That voice sounded familiar...

"Now before we began with the festivities tonight," Santa said, his voice cheery. "I received a very special letter. It's from an old friend who wanted to make sure that it was read tonight." He slipped on his reading glasses before opening the letter.

Anna took a few steps forward, her breath caught in her throat.

"It's dated December of this year, and it goes like this," he said._ "Dear Uncle Olaf, Well the time has come for me to finally bring my dear little sister, Anna, into the reigns of the family business, with your blessing."_

Kristoff stood back, watching as she drew closer to the stage. Whispers began to sound throughout the crowd as they recognized her for who she really was.

"_I'm sending her to North Mountain incognito so she doesn't receive any special treatment. Instead, she'll get first hand experience with our parents' hometown and the wonderful people in it_," he read. Her eyes began to tear up. Olaf stepped down from the stage, nearing Anna as well.

"_I'd love for her to learn about what originally set you and our father on your path: tradition, friendship, and love. Because those are the most important things we could ever give someone else. Merry Christmas. Love, Elsa_," he finished.

Anna couldn't contain herself anymore. She quickly took the last few steps and threw her arms around her father's dear, old friend. Olaf laughed as he hugged her tightly.

"Welcome to the family business, Anna," he said softly. "It couldn't happen to a finer lady." She smiled.

"So that's why you stayed away? So I could get to know everyone here?" she asked. He shrugged.

"And so they could get to know you! The real you. Without big ol' me or your sister getting in the way." She shook her head.

"But I left..," she said, her tone defeated. "How did you know I'd come back?"

"We didn't," a familiar voice said from behind her. She turned quickly around to see her sister, smiling brightly. "We has faith you'd come back. And good thing too, or else I would have made this trip out for nothing."

Anna squealed as she raced towards her sister, pulling her into a tight embrace.

"You're here!" she exclaimed happily. Elsa laughed. The two pulled away, and Anna's face instantly fell.

"I'm sorry I didn't deliver the letter myself." Elsa scrunched her face in confusion.

"How could you have? I sent it ahead before you even got here. Just so Uncle Olaf would know what was coming his way." Anna raised her eyebrows at the two.

"Why can't anyone call each other?!"

Olaf chuckled. "Because we've recorded every important step in those letters. Including this one." Elsa shrugged, placing a hand on Anna's arm.

"Besides, the real test wasn't for you to simply drop off a letter. It was for you to grow up and learn. To win the town over. I think you've done a pretty good job at passing," she said with a smile. Anna hugged her tightly again.

A familiar face stood up. After a second, Anna recognized him as the stubborn salesman from before. The one she'd had to convince with all her might to donate to the charity.

"Anyone who can convince me to donate free product..," he said. "Is a pro." Anna giggled, holding onto her sister's hand tightly.

"Oh! Elsa! Let me show you the auction!" she exclaimed, pulling her sister suddenly towards the tables filled with the auction items. Elsa laughed as she let herself be dragged along.

"Everything was donated by local shop owners. They're all one of a kind. And it actually gave me a great idea for a yearly event we could throw.."

Elsa's eyes gleamed as she scanned over the items. She crossed her arms, impressed.

"Anna, you did all this? By yourself?" she asked. The redhead nodded, twisting her fingers.

"I did! I thought it would be nice to do a something like this is Arendelle every year. Maybe more widespread, you know, being financially backed by 'Home & Heart' and all, but it would all be for charity," she said hopefully. Elsa smiled brightly.

"I think it's an excellent idea, Miss Chief Event Coordinator." Anna beamed brightly.

Kristoff watched from afar. He watched as Anna's happiness lit up the entire room. He shook his head in awe. How could someone so small spread so much joy?

Elsa squeezed Anna's shoulders. "Let's talk about business tomorrow. It's Christmas Eve. And don't think I haven't noticed that big, blondie over there who hasn't been able to keep his eyes off you."

She motioned her head towards Kristoff. He quickly looked away, blushing furiously. Anna giggled, a soft pink grazing her own cheeks. She tucked a hair behind her ear.

"That's Kristoff," she said. Elsa nodded, a hand on her chin.

"Mmhmm, and you're still talking to me and not him, why?" she asked, glancing down at Anna's bare ring finger. She wouldn't let Anna know, but she was _overjoyed_ at the lack of a ring on her sister's finger. It had almost been the first thing she'd noticed.

Anna rolled her eyes, a goofy smile on her face as she eyed the awkward brute. He downed the rest of his drink, hoping it would keep him cool before making his way towards her.

Music had begun playing again and Elsa had quickly made herself scarce. Kristoff cleared his throat as he neared her. She smiled sweetly at him.

"So I know you're famous and all," he teased, his voice rattled with nerves. "But would you still do a lowly, local boy the honor of a dance?"

Her smiled broadened, enticing her to bite at it softly. She nodded, slowly snaking her arms around his neck. His muscular arms found their way around her waste, holding her tightly to his chest.

The song overhead softly played 'Silent Night'. Anna raised a concern eyebrow at him, but all that shown through his expression was contentment.

"This song..," she started. "Are you okay?" He shrugged, enjoying the warmth of holding her so close.

"It's not so bad anymore." She smiled brightly, feeling herself getting lost in his eyes. They continued to dance, staring intently into the other's gaze. Anna felt as if she would become lightheaded.

Kristoff smirked a bit, dipping his head towards her ear.

"Is this the part where we're supposed to kiss?" he asked, referencing their night in the woods. Anna bit her lip before shaking her head. He furrowed his eyebrows at her in confusion. Had he misread things...?

She took his hand in hers, intertwining their fingers and pulling him towards the doorway. The two looked up at the small plant above them. Kristoff smiled softly.

Mistletoe.

"_Now_, I think is when we're supposed to kiss," she teased. Once was all he needed. Immediately he pressed a hand to her back and the other to her chin. He guided her lips to his and kissed them passionately.

Anna felt herself melt into his embrace, fireworks exploding behind her eyes as their lips moved in unison. After a minute or so, they broke apart. Anna's lips were plump, eliciting a chuckle from Kristoff.

"Merry Christmas," she whispered. He smiled.

"Merry Christmas, Anna."

* * *

**Aaaaaaand FIN!**

**I hope you liked this story. Go watch the actual movie on Netflix 'Christmas Inheritance', but bring lots of crackers for all that cheese! I obviously added some scenes and changed some dialogue, but the gist is the same.**

**Sorry again about it being posted late and not making it before Christmas. Dumb life happens. Still lots of love for ya though!**

**Every kind review goes towards making an author smile. That author is me. **

**-TheCleanWriter**


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